Hanami
by Cerridwen Aerin Ellorin
Summary: Hmm. Yusaku VS Adam, Kai VS the world, Asato VS Lei...! Oo;; RR PLEASE!
1. Beginnings

Hanami

Disclaimer: I do not own Bey Blade and its characters; I own the original characters portrayed herein. Sakura Taisen with a twist; this time it's the boys' turn! Then they meet up with the Team Axis and things were never the same again. BBA Team/Team Europe/Michael/Yuri X OC's. Blades at the READY! 

Lei

**Name**: Kon, Lei

**Country of Origin**: China

**Nationality**: Chinese

**Birthplace**: Unknown, rumored to be the famed White Tiger Village

**Age**: 15

**Height**: 168 cm

**Weight**: 49 kg

**Blood Type**: AB

**Birthday**: June 17

**Skills**: Martial Arts

**PRN**: 0020-001-00

**EP**: 90

**APR**: 95%

**Test Results**: 100% Passing

COMMENTS:

**Recommended for transfer to 35th Imperial Capital Defense Headquarters. Training for Elite Kagekidan Branch approved. For immediate action.**

Signed:

**JUDY MIZUHARA**,

Head Instructor,

Imperial Capital Defense Satellite Headquarters,

KYOUTO

_*Taisho 8 (1919)_

"Darn..." Lei Kon blinked, as he stared into the thick sheet of rain that was pouring heavily in the gray haze of a typical Tokyo afternoon. It was cold, it was wet, but Lei felt great, nevertheless. He had been very nervous upon receiving the nondescript small manila envelope quite some time ago, and he was glad that he was able to make it this far.

Lei looked down at the envelope he held tightly in his right hand. Flowing Japanese _kanji_, so much like the Chinese calligraphy his grandfather had forced him to study ever since he had learned how to write, was written in typical Japanese fashion, up-down from left to right. It was his letter of approval from Dr. Judy Mizuhara, the Head Instructor of the Imperial Capital Defense Satellite Headquarters back in Kyouto where he came from. He had been very happy when he received that, he called long distance to his aunt living in Hong Kong, to tell the happy news to his grandfather living in the valley.

And...

"Can it, kid, you're hogging the entire passageway," a man told him gruffly. Startled, Lei blinked, looked over his shoulder, and saw him.

"I...I'm sorry..." Lei stammered. He quickly got out of the way, and the man went out, muttering angrily at how out of town youths could be so damn stupid. The man got his umbrella, shook it open, then headed out into the rain. Several other people did the same, and soon, a stream of disembarked passengers were walking out into the rain, holding parasols above their heads and going briskly about their own ways.

"..." Lei sighed, then looked at the envelope again. The envelope had contained the letter, a first class ticket from Kyouto to Tokyo, a map of Tokyo and a small slip of paper indicating that he was to meet a certain Asako Suzuhara, in about 1700 hours. She was to escort him to the HQ, and so he could start with his new job as a cadet in the elite Kagekidan of the Imperial Capital Defense, a job that he really wanted to have for the last 6 years of his life training and studying so hard back in Kyouto. At last it will come to a fruition.

Then...

A low rumbling sound was heard, and Lei blinked and sighed again, his head hanging down low. In all his excitement, he forgot to eat breakfast and lunch preparing for the trip to Tokyo, and Souichi Saiki laughed about it as soon as Lei boarded the train that was to take him there.

***_Damn Kon, you're more excited than I first thought. Just be sure you don't spill your last night's dinner all over General Daitenji's desk, or you'll be shipped back to China first thing in the morning. I hear he's a real tyrant._***

His stomach rumbled painfully again, and Lei forced the sour bile down his throat, which was threatening to come out. He never felt this bad ever since the day his father died 8 years ago. Fei Kon was a strict man, but he was kind. He was a radical who envisioned peace with the Westerners and was quite unpopular with a small number of Communists because of his democratic zeal and his love for universal understanding and brotherhood. He had come a very long way from White Tiger Valley, and his grandfather had mourned his son deeply when he was felled by some soldiers from the Axis during his stint with the Imperial Capital Defense. He was a hero, and Lei really looked up to him as a role model, even if he didn't really get to see him that much. It was understandable why his grandfather first disapproved of his choice to serve under the Imperial Capital Defense; the loss of his son has affected him greatly. But his mother had been very understanding, and his grandfather let him go after she talked to him. 

***_You'll come back, right, Lei-chan?_*** Mao, his younger twin sister, asked him. Her amber gold eyes were filled with tears, and all Lei could do was just pat her on the head awkwardly.

***_Yes, Mao-chan, I promise._***

***_Be careful out there, Lei,_*** his mother told him, her dark pink hair pulled back from her face by means of a tortoiseshell comb his father gave her on the day of their marriage.

***_Yes, Mama._***

His grandfather looked so grave and so serious that day when he gave him the White Claw, his father's memento.

***_Be strong and be proud and be brave, Son of Byakko. We shall await your return._***

Son of Byakko. It was the highest term of respect in their quaint little village in the White Tiger Valley, and to be called as such is a very great honor. It was meant that the village has acknowledged his prowess as a full-fledged warrior of the White Tiger Clan where he came from, and he was to carry that honor till the day that he breathes his last. And it means that he must not fail in upholding that title even in the face of gravest danger, even death. White Tigers are not to be shamed by any form of dishonor that may taint their very proud and noble heritage. And it was something Lei had been sole pressed to keep up the last 6 years he spent training and studying in Kyouto before going here, the last stop of his journey.

Or so he thought.

"Excuse me...? Are you Lei Kon?"

Startled, Lei looked up and blinked. A young woman of about 18 was standing right in front of him, holding a parasol, and clutching at something in her hand.

"Y-yes, Ma'am!" Lei replied, offering her a crisp salute.

"Hmm, a little too much on the politeness department...amber gold eyes...jet black hair..." The woman looked from the black and white picture she held in her hand, looked at Lei, then back at the picture again. She nodded. "Yes, you're my man!" She bows, in the typical manner of a respectful Japanese. "I am Asako Suzuhara, nice to meet you!"

"Lei Kon at your service, Ma'am."

"Hee. VERY polite, aren't you. You don't really have to salute me, I'm just a lowly messenger in the employ of the Kagekidan. Did you arrive well? I mean...have you had any trouble coming here?"

"No, Ma'am."

"Call me Asako." Asako Suzuhara smiled at him brightly. "Well, are all of your things in order? If so, the automobile that would take us to the HQ is waiting for us in the parking area in front of the train station."

Lei looked down. He had his 2 suitcases with him, his brown leather satchel, and his jacket. He nodded. "I have them all here."

"Well and good." Asako nodded over at the rain. "Really sorry for this horrid weather, it's been raining nonstop for the last 2 days already. I actually have no idea WHY." 

"It's...alright." Lei gulped. 

"?" Asako blinked, then gave a sheepish grin. "Oh, yes! Let's go." 

The automobile ride was uneventful, to say the least, and Lei could see nothing but rain, rain, and more rain. It seemed as if heaven itself didn't approve of his coming to Tokyo, and the uneasy feeling started in the pit of his stomach again. 

Asako wasn't saying much, except that she was engrossed in a small pamphlet to which Lei could see that it was some sort of an itinerary. He didn't question her about it, thinking that she wouldn't want to be disturbed, for she looked at it intently. 

Then... 

"Oh dear, we're already HERE!" Asako hurriedly got her umbrella then waited as the driver opened the door for her to come out. She shook it open, then looked over at Lei. "Mr. Kon, if you please..." 

Lei nodded, then got out of the automobile. In the pouring rain, he couldn't see that much, but...what was that building in front of them? It looked too ornate to be anything else less than the Kagekidan he had heard so much about...in fact, he wasn't even sure it was the headquarters he expected. 

Asako ushered him inside, and Lei's worst fears were confirmed. There must be some sort of mistake. 

"Excuse me...Asako-san? Errh...is this the Kagekidan Division of the Imperial Capital Defense Headquarters..." Lei asked softly as he looked around in the anteroom. There was a grand staircase right in front of him from which a crystalline chandelier hung, and their were vases of fresh cut flowers on the exquisite tables that lined the room. Maids wearing ruffly starched white aprons and dark blue uniforms went about methodically, dusting the many vases as needed, and going about their daily tasks as inconspicuously as possible. If he was right, then this must be a hotel of some sort, not a military facility. 

"Yes, Mr. Kon, this is the Kagekidan Division." Asako shook out the water droplets from her umbrella then handed it over to one of the maids. She smiled. "So how do you find your new home already?" 

"R-really?" Lei blinked. "I..." 

"Oh, Suzuhara-kun. You're already here." 

Asako blinked, stared, then gave a crisp salute. "Ah...Daitenji-kacho! Reporting for duty, sir!" 

"At ease." An old man was smiling at Lei kindly. "And I trust you're Lei Kon?" 

"Errh...yes, sir!" 

"I should've known. Those White Tiger eyes aren't really that too common around here." The old man extended his hand towards him. "A pleasant afternoon. My name is Gogoro Daitenji. How do you do?" 

"D...Daitenji..." Lei turned SD then shook his hand. "General Daitenji, sir! It's an honor to meet you, sir!" 

"At ease, at ease. I prefer to be called 'Kacho'." Gogoro Daitenji looked over at Asako. "Please ready his room. I'll just talk to him in the management office for a while." 

"Yes, Kacho!" Asako gave that salute again and hurried up the grand staircase, calling to 2 maids as she hurried up the steps. 

"This way, please," Daitenji-kacho told a still flustered Lei. Lei had so many questions in his mind at the moment, each one more bizarre than the last. Where are the soldiers? His fellow cadets? He knew he wasn't the only one starting today...or is he? What's up with addressing General Gogoro Daitenji, one of the famous Imperial Capital Defense Corps, as KACHO?! He's not a manager of some sort, is he? 

Lei looked at the many posters that were hung on the walls leading to the "management office": they were posters of musicals he'd read so much about from the American newspapers Dr. Mizuhara had lent him to read time and again. But then again...is the Kagekidan involved with Broadway musicals one way or the other? 

Daitenji-kacho stopped in front of a door then opened it. He looked over at Lei. "Please do come in. I'm terribly sorry about the mess...an order for new posters had just come in, and there were a few frantic calls made to the printer at the last minute. It's concerning the layouts. The advertiser wanted something big and edgy, if you know what I mean." 

"Ah...yes, Kacho..." 

Daitenji-kacho went in after Lei did then closed the door. "Please have a seat on the available sofa. Would you like something to drink? I have freshly brewed coffee, or some Chinese tea, if you would prefer." 

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine, Kacho." Lei blinked, then looked at the stacks of posters that were piled neatly on one side of the room. 

Daitenji-kacho sat on the chair by the table in front of Lei then took a deep whiff of the mug of coffee he held in his hands. He smiled in a grandfatherly way towards Lei. "Forgive me. It is when I take a whiff of caffeine that I feel so totally at ease." 

"Yes." 

Silence reigned for a few minutes. Lei looked around in increasing bewilderment. Instead of any plaques of recognition, war trophies, or souvenirs of any sort, he saw posters, posters, and more posters. And not just any posters. 

"Welcome to Kagekidan, my young friend," Daitenji-kacho told him as soon as Lei returned his attention back to him. "You couldn't have come at a much better time than today. Did you have any trouble going here from Kyouto?" 

"Errh...no, Kacho." Lei blinked. "Excuse me...Kagekidan..." 

"Yes?" 

"This is...Kagekidan?" 

"Of course. Were you expecting something more of a military outpost?" 

"Uh..." 

"Don't you worry, lad, you'd fit in in no time at all." Daitenji-kacho took a sip of the coffee before continuing. "I've read through your test results, and I must say that I am very impressed. Your scores are the highest I've seen by far." 

"Errh..." Lei looked down at his lap, his cheeks flushed.

"Well then, to business." Daitenji-kacho smiled at him again. "I am very sure you would really love it here. Oh, here he is now. Max?"

Lei looked around at the new arrival. A boy with bright blue eyes and a shock of blond hair was standing in the doorway, smiling very pleasantly at him. He was wearing a long sleeved polo shirt, suspenders, a pair of brown trousers, and shiny leather shoes on his feet. Lei can't help thinking that he has met him somewhere before.

"Maximillian Christopher Mizuhara at your service, but I prefer to be called Max," the boy told him. "How do you do?"

"Max here is Dr. Mizuhara's son," Daitenji-kacho told him. "He would be giving you a tour of the Kagekidan, and of course, introduce you to the other members of the team. Alright Max?"

"Yes, Daitenji-kacho! I will make sure to give him a really grand tour that he won't ever forget." Maximillian Christopher Mizuhara gave him a brighter smile than the last. "Shall we?"

"Uh...yes." Lei stood up.

Lei followed Max out of the management office.

"I'm...Lei Kon, by the way," Lei told him.

"Yup, Mom talks about you all the time," Max said as they made their way down the hall that led somewhere further than the management office. "I just didn't expect you to be a boy close to my own age. By the way you acted and studied and did all the things necessary for the Imperial Capital Defense training, I thought you must be around 18 or even 20."

"..."

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by it!" Max stopped and looked at him anxiously. "I'm sorry if I offended you or anything..."

"It's alright." Lei smiled faintly.

Max let out a huge sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. Oh, here we are at the rehearsal hall." Max pulled the double doors wide open. "Hey everybody, the newbie's arrived!"

There was absolute silence as Lei went in after Max. Lei blinked. There were a bunch of boys his own age gathered around in a circle, holding pamphlets of what he could be very sure about as being scripts.

SCRIPTS?

Max grinned and smiled at Lei.

"Lei, I would like you to meet Team Hoshi. Guys, I would like you to meet Lei Kon, our newest team member. He's going to join us from this day hereon. Hey, what do you say about it?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

* I am using the Japanese imperial calendar here. The storyline happens in the Taisho era, sometime after the Meiji. As you know, Japan has adopted the Gregorian calendar since January 1, 1873, but the names of the months are numbers, and the years are numbered in terms of eras which begin with the accession of each new Emperor. Within a year or so of the new Emperor's assuming of the Chrysanthemum Throne, the imperial court then would decide an official auspicious name for the reign. These era names are referred to as _NENGO_. The era name, Taisho, means "Great Righteousness", and started from 1912 and ended on December 25, 1925. In order to convert a Japanese year to a Western year, find the year in the common era of the first year of the _nengo_, subtract 1, and add the number of the Japanese year. For example, Taisho 8: (1912- 1 = 1911; 1911 + 8 = 1919). 


	2. Haru

_Haru:_

End of a Winter's Solstice

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bey Blade and Sakura Taisen. I do own the OC's portrayed herein. So don't sue me.

Max

**Name**: Mizuhara, Maximillian Christopher

**Country of Origin**: Japan

**Nationality**: 1/2 Japanese, 1/2 American

**Birthplace**: Kyouto

**Age**: 13

**Height**: 160 cm

**Weight**: 46 kg

**Blood Type**: O

**Birthday**: June 30

**Skills**: Tactician, Weapons Specialist

**PRN**: 0020 - 002 - 000 

**EP**: 90

**AP**: 93

**Test Results**: 100% Passing

COMMENTS:

**Recommended for transfer to 35th Imperial Capital Defense Headquarters. Training for Elite Kagekidan Branch approved. For immediate action.**

Signed:

**JUDY MIZUHARA**,

Head Instructor,

Imperial Capital Defense Satellite Headquarters,

KYOUTO

Max was grinning expectantly at his other teammates. "Uh...well? Aren't you all going to welcome him aboard?"

Lei looked down at his feet, clutching his suitcases. There was absolute silence in the room.

"Hey!" There was a scraping sound as a chair was pushed back somewhere in the middle of the room. "Uh, Lei, isn't it? My name's Takao, Takao Kinogu! Welcome to the Kagekidan!"

Lei looked up. An average-sized boy wearing a white polo shirt inside a deep blue _kimono_-style upper tunic over a pair of black _hakama_ and _tabi_-clad feet in _zori_ stood up and was grinning at him, with an openness like that of Max's. He had dark blue-black hair and eyes, and his longish hair was tied back by means of a white piece of cord at the base of his nape. He bows down. "It's a real honor to meet you!"

"Uh...y-yes, same here!" Lei answered. He reciprocated his bow by a low bow as well. 

"Y-yes, welcome!" A mousy-haired boy added, standing up almost immediately after Takao Kinogu, fixing his glasses on his nose. He also bows down. "My name is Kenichiro Hasami, but everybody calls me 'Kyouju'. How do you do?"

"F-fine, thanks," Lei replies, bowing to him as well.

"..." There was an almost lazy flap of a sheaf of papers at the other end of the room. 

"What's your expertise?" Takao Kinogu asks almost immediately.

"Errh~~~"

"I mean, we can all sing and dance to an extent, but what area are you really good at?"

"S-sing and dance?" Lei couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I thought~~~"

"And ACT!" Max was nodding. "Don't forget that, Takao."

"Oh. Yes!"

"Uh..." Lei gulped. "W-well, I used to be part of the traveling Beijing Opera Troupe...for 3 weeks."

"Wow, you did Chinese opera?" Kenichiro Hasami asks, his deep green eyes wide. "That's good!"

"Uh...yes."

"What good is it if you only acted for 3 weeks?" There was another scraping sound of a chair being pushed back in the middle of the room. "Recruits these days. Daitenji-kacho should be more selective of what the Kagekidan really NEEDS, and not just greenhorns about to be let loose on stage, piping Shakespeare as if it were some sort of a piece of news article."

"Kai..." Max said.

"And that's Kai Hiwatari, the scion of Hiwatari Heavy Industries, grandson of the billionaire steam magnate," Takao whispers to Lei with definite and undisguised disgust at the last person to stand up in the room to acknowledge the Chinese youth. Takao pouted. "Just because he went to England to study in one of those chi-chi private boarding schools, Kai thinks he's a lot better than everybody else. Don't let him get to you."

"I...I'll try," Lei answered. 

"Your name is Lei Kon, isn't it? Well, my name is Kai Hiwatari. I would like to say beforehand that acting for 3 weeks is clearly NOT acting. You have to prove to yourself that you're more than the 3 week wonder. In Kagekidan, we don't like slack-offs and insufferable know-it-alls. And people who think they're better than everybody else." 

"I think he's describing himself," Takao mutters with a definite innocent expression on his face.

"You're here for the glory of the Imperial Capital, and all you have to show is your mediocre acting. Now where's the proud defender of the Chrysanthemum Throne in that? The reason why you were selected for the Kagekidan is that you have the TALENT and the SKILLS needed for the good of the Imperial Capital. Now, if you think you can't do anything better than tying up the laces of your boots, then I suggest that you lead your own way out. We need resistance, not a hindrance." Kai Hiwatari gets his script then gave Lei a critical look-through before turning on his heel to walk away. "I'll see you around."

"~~~~" Takao clenched his fists, glaring right after Kai, who already left the room. "That...spoiled brat..."

"Hey Lei, don't let him get to you," Max told him. "It's his own way of greeting you and welcoming you aboard. I remember the first time I went here, I was always imagining him to have smoke coming out of his nostrils or something. He's always so angry. He tells it like it is; I guess he never has too many servants to yell at back at their manor." 

"It's alright. I have lots of practice," Lei told him reassuringly. "My old Classics teacher was even worse."

There was an awkward silence as the 4 of them stood in the now empty rehearsal hall.

"Well...now that we're properly introduced, let us take the liberty of showing you around Kagekidan with Max-senpai here," Kenichiro told him. "What do you say?"

"Uh...alright." 

"Good." Takao grabs his own script and his sword sheathed inside its scabbard by the chair he sat on a while ago. "Puck was rather beginning to bore me. Let's go."

Max was quiet as they all went through the esteemed halls of the Kagekidan with Lei in tow.

***_Shouldn't be with them, shouldn't be with ANYBODY._***

Max could still hear his American grandfather as he yelled at his mother the first and last time they visited his mother's family's farm somewhere in Western Virginia. Max was barely 3 years old then.

***_I shouldn't have let you go to that...trash land...when I had a chance! All you had to do was fall in love with that peasant~~~_***

***_Daddy, I know what's right and what's wrong for me now. I am not a little girl anymore._***

***_And you have the result right HERE~~~!!!_*** Max could still see his grandfather pointing at him, as if he was accusing him of turning his mother into something that was less than human. ***_He's just a copycat. He may look like any normal kid out there but inside he's as rotten as his peasant father~~~!!!_***

***_I will not have Max insulted like that!_***

***_Oh, so now you're naming him like any American kid on the block? Is it because you are shamed of his mixed-up heritage, you're trying to hide your mistake away by calling him THAT?_***

They took the next available boat right back to Hong Kong that very day. Max knew that he did something really bad, because his mother was crying all the way from Western Virginia to Hong Kong; his grandfather was glaring daggers at him as they hurriedly left.

***_...you are not a mistake..._***

***_Ma...ma...?_***

***_You are not a mistake, Max._*** Max could remember how pretty his mother looked that day, with her long blond hair set in ringlets underneath her soft lacey hat; pretty, yet so sad. ***_You were never a mistake. That was why Tetsuji and I decided to have you._***

***_Ma...ma..._***

***_Shhh..._*** Judy Mizuhara held him close, her beautiful blue eyes, so much like Max's were, softening. ***_Everything's right, all of this is right, and most importantly, you are so RIGHT. Don't you forget that, Max. Don't you ever forget that..._*** 

"...and that's the main concert hall, where we all literally turn into instant musical theater thespians every 'magic' season," Takao was saying as the 4 of them were going through all of the Kagekidan's key points of interest. "Down the left-leftmost hall we go to the main attraction itself: the DRESSING ROOMS~~~!!!"

"Uh...why is it a main attraction?" Lei asked curiously.

"Nothing's secret in that room while we go change," Takao said with a very solemn look on his face. "They monitor EVERYTHING."

"R...really?"

Takao and Kenichiro both nodded.

"Uh..." Lei had started to gulp and sweatdrop.

"Don't worry, the monitoring people are guys," Kenichiro assured him. He shudders. "Imagine if they happened to be girls."

"Don't even START~~~!!!" Takao stuck his tongue out as if the very idea itself was revolting. "Let's just go 'incognito', I bet Lei would now want to see what lies beneath all this pomp and artistry. Are you coming with us, Max?"

"H-huh? Oh, yes."

"Good." Takao bolted off, dragging Lei by the hand behind him. "Last one to the slides is a rotten glob of NATTO~~~!!!"

And so they raced each other to where "incognito" was. And Max forgot being a "right mistake" for a while: for now, he's just a 13 year-old kid who happened to like a lot of fun.

And being with friends. 

******

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: "Kyouju" in Japanese literally means "Professor" (yes, I looked it up). Yep, I made Professor/Chief/Kenny "visually-perfect", if you get what I mean. Kenny's got EYES~~~!!! ^o^ And his Japanese name here is a slight pun to his English-dubbed one ("Keni-chan-kyouju" or "Keni-kyouju-chan" is what literally comes to my mind...@@;;). Oh, and natto is a traditional Japanese fare that means fermented beans. Senpai is an honorific term for one's esteemed advanced/senior/higher colleague. Max is the doer, while Kenny's the planner. Get it? ^-^;; Anyway, I hope you like this ficcie. Am in a loss for using Kobus or Zakus or Quebeleys in this ficcie. Tell me what you think! Should I use the traditional Kobus or other sort of mech type? Please help me! Via e-mail (eduin_goddess@yahoo.com/Eidolon_Masouki@hotmail.com) . Thanks! ^o^ 


	3. First Moon

_Haru:_

First Moon

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bey Blade and Sakura Taisen. I own the OC's portrayed herein. Oh, Asato Tsuzuki's making a cameo here. I do not own him either, and any of his Shikigami, for that matter. So don't shoot me.

Takao

**Name**: Kinogu, Takao

**Country of Origin**: Japan

**Nationality**: Japanese

**Birthplace**: Hachioji

**Age**: 13

**Height**: 157 cm

**Weight**: 48 kg

**Blood Type**: B

**Birthday**: January 23

**Skills**: _Kendo_, all swordskill (_Tenryuuken Ryuu_)

**PRN**: 0020 - 000 - 000

**EP**: 98

**APR**: 94%

**Test Results**: 100%

COMMENTS:

**Recommended for transfer to 35th Imperial Capital Defense Headquarters. Training for Elite Kagekidan Branch approved. For immediate action.**

Signed,

**JUDY MIZUHARA**

Head Instructor,

Imperial Capital Defense Satellite Headquarters,

KYOUTO

"HEY~~~!!!" Takao yells. "You haven't lived until you've tried THIS."

Lei blinked. "What?"

"It's the secret of the Kagekidan's great SUCCESS~~~!!!" Takao said importantly. He then turned minute. "That is, aside from the GREAT ALMIGHTY Kai, as he likes to think."

"Come on, Takao, give Kai a break," Max told him.

"Well it's TRUE, he thinks he's even mightier than the Heir of the Chrysanthemum Throne HIMSELF," Takao replied. He had his hands across his chest. "I just hate it when he puffs his chest all out and starts speaking as if he owned the entire Imperial Opera House."

Kenichiro blinked. "Hey Takao-senpai, you're forgetting about the Kagekidan's Ultimate Secret to Success."

"Oh! Right." Takao grinned at Lei. "Hop in, you have the honors."

They were standing before a huge floor to ceiling portrait of Daitenji-kacho in the Hall of Portraits down the left hall from where the rehearsal hall was. Lei blinked again. "Uh...so, this is the secret to the Kagekidan's success..."

"Yep! Our very own Daitenji-kacho." Takao nodded. "Stand back and be AMAZED." 

Takao pressed one of the many colored bulbs lighting up the sides of the portrait, and there was an audible click that was heard in the silence. Lei looked at each of the other paintings that were there: several paintings of the Kagekidan Troupe in all their opera finery, and on closer inspection, showed something that was not visible to the untrained naked eye.

The first painting showed them as the cast of _Hamlet_. The second showed them as the cast of _Macbeth_. The third showed them as the cast of _Ring of the Nibelung_. And the fourth showed them as the cast of _Les Miserables _(even if the musical was only created recently sometime in the 80's; I am just following the travails of Sakura Taisen 3 game or anime in this part).

"Tragedy comes at the price of rebellion and treachery, unless we see enlightenment to free us from the shackles of self-imposed bondage of ourselves," Max told him. "The paintings are connected to one another just like that. It is supposed to embody the one virtue Daitenji-kacho wishes to impart to all of us, whether onstage or on the battlefield. When you internalize this then you would be truly called a member of the Kagekidan."

"..." Lei was quiet.

Daitenji-kacho's portrait slowly slid upward, and the walls containing 2 each of the paintings separated in the middle, to reveal 4 holes big enough to admit a person of average build, 2 holes still sealed off by thin steel slats, and a hole sealed with brown Kraft paper.

"Welcome to the Kagekidan Lei." Max got his handkerchief then folded it in a manner that he could tie it around Lei's head to cover his eyes. "We're really pleased and honored to have you with us."

"Uh...thank you very much." Lei started to sweatdrop at the sight of Max having an evil grin on his face. "M-Max...uh...what are you doing..."

"Trust us, you're going to like it down THERE." Takao nodded. "Yeah, we all did, as a matter of fact."

"T-Takao..."

"Let me take your baggage for you, Lei-senpai," Kenichiro said, getting Lei's things from him. His eyes were closed happily. "See you down there."

"W-wait~~~!!!" Lei gulped. "You're not...SERIOUS..."

"Heh heh, but we ARE serious," Max said.

There was silence for a few seconds, then Lei felt a huge block of ice settling inside his stomach. "Uh...HEY..."

Max and Takao pounced on him at once; Max tying the handkerchief around his head to cover his eyes, while Takao laughed evilly. Lei was starting to panic. "H-HEY~~~!!!"

"See you down there, Lei Kon~~~!!!" Takao then pushed him head first onto the Kraft paper-sealed hole with all his might. "As the French would say, _BON VOYAGE_~~~!!!"

"EEEEEEYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHHH~~~~~!!!"

Takao jumped into his own respective hole after Max and Kenichiro had jumped into their own holes as well. The slide was smooth and sleek.

***_Dark void..._*** Takao thought suddenly. ***_Emptiness..._***

Takao could feel the rushing air that greeted him as he took that slide that led him down below, to where his "best friend" was kept.

His only real friend...or so he thought.

His only real friend after his father left...

Takao was just 3 years old then when his father left. He could still remember their loyal retainers that rushed and bustled about the household getting things ready for their master, getting ready for his departure into the unknown.

He was blinking, as he stood there beside his nursemaid, looking at his father. Masao Kinogu stood there in his proper attire as Lord of the Kinogu Clan, as he was to their closely-knit family: the dark blue _haori_ emblazoned with the family crest (_mon_) consisting of a stylized rendition of a blue dragon curling about clouds and lightning on its 2 lapels (^^;;) over his white _kimono_ top and deep gray _hakama_ and white _tabi_-clad feet on _zori_. The only thing Western about him was the bowler hat on top of his head.

His mother, Tsutsuji Kinogu, was seeing him off, pretty in her pale green kimono and deep yellow _obi_ tied in an _o-taiko_ manner, her deep brown hair pulled back into a neat chignon at her nape, and held in place by several tortoiseshell combs. Her startling silver eyes were filled with tears.

***_Masao..._***

***_I shall be back, Tsutsuji, do not worry. Besides, this is just routine work. I'll be back in time for the Spring Festival._*** Mr. Kinogu then knelt down and gazed at his 3 year old son, ruffling his hair affectionately as he did so. ***_Take good care of your mother well, Takao. Don't do anything that would cause her to cry rivers of tears._***

Daitenji-kacho was just General Daitenji then, dressed in the drab green clothes of the Imperial Conscript Army. He nodded. ***_Let us go, Masao. The ship would be leaving soon. Lady Tsutsuji, Takao...I bid you good day and farewell._***

Mr. Kinogu hugged his wife one last time, then left. Takao could only gaze after him wonderingly.

***_Masao...I would like you to meet Asato Tsuzuki. He's the youngest member of the Imperial Capital Defense Corps...Hiwatari was absolutely raving about him..._***

Takao could remember a timid young boy wearing a prim blue _kimono_ top over a dark gray _hakama _and _zori_, an old bruise that was fading to yellow at the corner of his mouth, hugging a _furoshiki_ which he surmised was where he put all his things in close to his chest. His amethyst eyes were all he could remember that were very remarkable in this young boy; other than that, he couldn't see why anyone would be raving about Asato Tsuzuki.

His nursemaid hissed, almost like a mother goose protecting her goslings, when she saw Asato.

***_Devil eyes...demon son..._*** she mutters.

***_Hello Asato._*** Mr. Kinogu smiled in a fatherly way toward him. ***_I am very honored to meet you._***

***_..._*** Asato just hugged his _furoshiki_ closer to him.

Then they left. That was the last time he ever saw his father. Until that incident 6 years later. His father disappeared, Lei's father was killed (he heard hushed talk going on around the house when General Daitenji visited his mother that day informing her of the news; he surmised that they might be comrades in arms and that he may be Lei's father because he was surnamed Kon as he was), Kai's father started serving as the Imperial Capital's Chief of Defense, Asato became "traumatized" and was bedridden and hospitalized ever since, and General Daitenji and Max's mother were the only ones who were left of the powerful Imperial Capital Defense Corps. 

His mother just held him closer to her as they sat in the porch overlooking their manicured gardens.

***_Tomorrow morning, your grandfather would start teaching you Tenryuuken Ryuu. Promise me you be strong for it, alright?_***

***_Mother, I thought Father would be teaching me that..._***

***_He just has to do some...'things'. Don't worry, he'll be around sometime soon._***

***_Alright..._***

But his father never came back. Takao felt as if a huge void had been opened in him ever since, threatening to swallow him whole and he was close to the brink of becoming just that; the faintest thread of hope of seeing his father again was the only thing which prevented him from falling into that abyss. He promised himself that when he got his Kagekidan promotion he would find his father, no matter what, just so he could spare his mother the heartache of uncertainty and sadness and tears that engulfed her ever since the day his father left.

The rushing air whooshed past him and Takao could see the light at the end of the dark slide he just popped himself into.

***_Yeah, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Heh, Father, I will find you. I don't care how long or how hard it is...the only thing that matters at the moment is to see Mother smile again!_*** 

He sails right onto his landing cushion beneath. Max was laughing heartily as Lei was still sprawled down on his own landing cushion, still too weak and, as Kenichiro accurately diagnosed as Lei having vertigo. 

Takao grins.

"So how was your natal ride, eh, Lei?" he asks with a laugh.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Japanese clothing 101: _haori_ is the jacket worn over the _kimono_ (the one with the fluffy bonbon thing up front; BTW the bonbon's a clasp of some sort), _hakama_ is the skirt-like trousers Kenshin Himura is wearing on his costume; _tabi_ are the white socks that have a separate big toe from the rest of the toes (^^;; you get the idea); _zori_ are the open-toed flat sandals that look like modern slippers but are made of light materials (like straw); and a _furoshiki_ is that huge bandanna-like thingy you always see wrapped about _o-bento_, the Japanese use it as a means of toting their things around in. 


	4. Second Moon

_Haru:_

Second Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: SOOOORRRYYYY~~~!!! The PC crash has sent my weekly update/upload out of whack, I'm trying to upload them all, hopefully this week, then it's back to normal operations again. I've decided on a cross between Guymelefs and Kobus; they have weird canisters on the backs of their mechs. Weird, but definitely COOL (OO;;). Thanks for putting up with me! Again, GOOOMMMEEEENNN~~~!!!

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Bey Blade, Asato Tsuzuki (plus his Shikigami) and Sakura Taisen, I own OC's portrayed herein. So don't sue me!

Kai

**Name**: Hiwatari, Kai

**Country of Origin**: Japan

**Nationality**: Japanese

**Birthplace**: Tokyo

**Age**: 15

**Height**: 172 cm

**Weight**: 49 kg

**Blood Type**: B

**Birthday**: March 25

**Skills**: _Nitoryuu_ style of swordfighting (2 swords), all swordskill, _Hou'ouken_

**PRN**: 0020 - 003 - 000

**EP**: 99

**APR**: 98%

**Test Results**: 100%

COMMENTS:

**Recommended for transfer to 35th Imperial Capital Defense Headquarters. Training for Elite Kagekidan Branch approved. For immediate action.**

*****Request for Rave Training most urgently needed. **

Signed,

**JUDY MIZUHARA**

Head Instructor,

Imperial Capital Defense Satellite Headquarters,

KYOUTO

"Please keep the racket down, will you?"

Takao, Max, and Kenichiro all look up. Kai was standing on the platform in front of his Sigil (his MECH~~~!!! ^o^) Dranzer and was looking down at them with deep disapproval. Takao blinked, then shook his fist at him, turning SD with little twitches all around his clenched fist. "We weren't creating a racket, MR. HIWATARI, we were giving Lei his natal jump-off! Anyway, you do not own this HANGAR~~~!!! Why do you keep strutting around like you own this place, HUH?!?"

"Hmph. I'm not answering to a brat like you." Kai frowned. "And I do not STRUT. Besides, why do you still keep doing that stupid thing?! Why don't you guys grow UP?"

"Uh..." Max blinked. "Well, we've been doing this ever since we got here...I mean..."

"And it's not STUPID~~~!!!" Takao was fuming. "Why do you have to always act so high and mighty, ANYWAY?! Are you trying to prove something we AREN'T?!"

"Takao-senpai," Kenichiro said with a tone of panic in his voice. 

"Just because you went to some chi-chi school in England does NOT mean you can have your way with US! Hear THAT~~~?! HIWATARI~~~!!!" Takao yells.

"Are you finished?" Kai sighed then shook his head. "Anyway, I don't have time hearing nonsense like this. I still have to make haste to the air strip. Just don't go doing that hideous ceremonial riff-raff on 'them', alright?"

"..." Lei stood up from his place at his own landing cushion then removed his kerchief around his eyes.

"Kon, isn't it?" Kai gestured towards the Sigil Lock a few rows across him, where a shiny new Sigil stood in perfect attention. "Your new Sigil, Driger. It sure was very difficult hauling him in from customs. Daitenji-kacho made all sorts of excuses, including that of one extremely huge Dryad Statue prop for the upcoming musical. The Imperial Capital Defense rush line was down, so they had to haul him in old-style."

"...thanks..." Lei told him.

"Welcome to the club, 3-week old thespian." Kai pressed the red button on the platform then it slowly went down. He looks over at Takao, Max and Kenichiro with that cold, indifferent red brown gaze of his. "Please do keep your Sigils in check, you know how important it is to keep them in top shape. We don't know when the enemy will attack."

He leaves. Lei blinked. "Is he always like that..."

"Trust Kai to mess up the entire afternoon for us," Takao fumed. "I guess all their servants in their manor became absolutely tired of his shouting around and packed up already, that's why he's unloading all his anger on US."

"..."

"He's just got some certain issues to deal with, is all." Max grinned at Lei. "Well, aren't you going to say hello to your new Sigil?"

Kai got into the automobile a little while later, which was held open by the uniformed chauffeur of the Imperial Capital Defense HQ.

"The air strip. And step on it," Kai told him immediately as the chauffeur got into the driver's seat.

"Yes, Mr. Hiwatari," the chauffeur replied.

It was still raining very hard as they made their way to the air strip. Kai looked outside, and watched people pass by in the growing darkness, blurred in the pouring rain as the automobile sped past (as if it could go any faster...^^;;). The light from the lamp posts did weird patterns on his face, which was half-cloaked in the shadows.

***_The end of the WORLD~~~!!! Can't you see IT~~~?! Why don't you LISTEN~~~!!!_***

There was a crash of a glass bowl that echoed dimly in Kai's memory, and Kai involuntarily flinched.

***_I am not MAD, Daichi, I am not MAD~~~!!! What are these white coated people FOR~~~?! Are they going to take me away from NIRVANA~~~?!_***

Another crash.

***_Get off ME~~~!!! Get off ME~~~!!! I am here for NIRVANA~~~!!! I am here for EVERYBODY~~~!!! You have no right to take me AWAY from HERE~~~!!! Daichi...DAIIICCCHHHIII~~~!!!_***

Kai could remember that day when everything crumbled down around him.

It was total chaos that day when his father and his other comrades-in-arms fought against the Axis. It really looked like it was the end of the world that day, and Kai, who was only 11, remembered seeing his mother standing against the windows of the living room of their manor and laughing hysterically as another bomb went off somewhere near their estate.

He was scared of his mother. There were times that she was sane, but most of the time she was talking to herself, of things the other servants of the Hiwatari household dismissed as nonsensical gibberish. There were times when he tried talking to her, she would zone out as if he's not there. Then, there was that locked-up room upstairs. Every time he even tries going near it, his mother would suddenly appear like some frightening apparition then would scream at him until her voice got hoarse or if one of their servants would drag her off (whichever comes first). 

He was actually glad when the white coated people from the hospital took her away from the manor. He knew he was not supposed to feel that way, she was his mother. He was there when his mother started hurling everything she could lift at his father, their servants, then the men from the mental ward of the hospital; he was considering trying to stop his mother from doing that but a Dresden figurine narrowly missing his face made him think otherwise.

***_She has become insane. Daichi, you cannot continue living on like THIS!_***

***_Whatever you say, father, she is still my wife. I would not have her treated so horribly like THIS!_***

His father and his grandfather were talking in terse voices right outside the room where his mother was supposed to be billeted. Kai watched as his mother tried clawing at her nearest captor as they all vainly struggled to strap her onto a strait jacket (is the spelling right?!? OO;;).

***_She is calling out for the Nirvana. Do you know what this means, Daichi?!_***

***_No. I won't hear any of THIS~~~!!!_***

***_Sooner or later Nirvana would come and destroy us all. Ever since she gave birth to Kai~~~_***

Kai looked curiously over his shoulder.

***_FATHER~~~!!!_***

***_~~~she has become completely INSANE. She doesn't want another sacrifice. This is the only way I know how so that she won't be able to harm Kai..._***

Flashbacks came unbidden into his mind, like a very fast 8 mm black and white movie.

Times when his mother was sane.

But yes. She did have that strange look in her eyes whenever she gazed at him.

Chaos at the imperial capital when the Axis attack was all over.

Several people screaming, running hither and thither.

Dr. Judy Mizuhara looking so sorry for him as his mother was taken away on a stretcher, strapped and bound like some animal.

Asato Tsuzuki going berserk. If it weren't for Asato, there would be no Imperial Capital Defense unit to talk of.

No Team Hoshi.

***_Mother..._***

Saya Hiwatari looked so thin and so frail the last time he visited her a few days ago. There was a tube sticking out of her mouth, and lots of tubes stuck on her now thin arms, and her red brown eyes, the same red brown eyes Kai inherited from her, were lolling around helplessly in a dizzying manner, as if she was trying to look for something that she just missed; looking, looking, not looking at her son at all. She was mumbling something, and her arms twitched spasmodically after every 5 minutes.

***_I don't care if you hate me, or if you're insane. You're still my mother..._*** Kai whispered then.

It was so sad, seeing her like this. His father had continued on her medication, whereas his grandfather had told him time and again to stop; seeing that his daughter-in-law was beyond help, her mind totally destroyed.

***_Can't you see you're just hurting her? Can't you see you're just hurting KAI?!_***

***_It was your idea why she had Kai in the first PLACE~~~!!! You knew how much she was traumatized, and yet you still~~~_***

So his father never wanted him in the first place. And his mother hated him for being even born.

What was he, a mistake...?

Did his mother hate him so much that it drove her insane?

It was really funny having parents who do not even recognize you. It was even more frustrating than having a constant toothache that you have no idea where it was radiating from. 

Mrs. Hiwatari died the moment he left. His father had not spoken to him about it, and in Kai's opinion, it didn't really matter.

So far, the safest way is is not knowing.

And Kai intends to keep it at that.

"We're here, Mr. Hiwatari."

Kai blinks. The automobile has taken him right into the air strip without him knowing. Where had the time gone?

He nods. 

"I'll head on in."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**AUTHOR'S NOTES 2**: Nirvana is the state of complete bliss achieved after many reincarnations, having reached enlightenment. o.O;; Nope, the Nirvana in question here is not about enlightenment, it has something to do with Kai's mother's insanity. Poor Kai. And it also has a LOT to do with Asato going berserk. ***evil grin*** stay tuned for that chappie! ^.^


	5. Third Moon

_Haru:_

Third Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: ARRRRRGGGHHHH for empty prepaid internet card CREDITS~~~!!! TT_TT I just TOTALLY hate it. TT_TT GOOOMMMEEEENNN to make you people wait for SOOO long. OK, this time it's Chief's turn! ^o^ Professor in Japanese is "Kyouju", and Kyouju is Professor and Professor is Chief and Chief is Kenny. WHEW~~~!!! R/R PLEASE~~~!!!

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, and Asato Tsuzuki (plus all his Shikigami). So please don't SHOOT ME~~~!!!

Kenichiro

**Name**: Hasami, Kenichiro

**Country of Origin**: Japan

**Nationality**: Japanese

**Birthplace**: Tohoku Area

**Age**: 12

**Height**: 149.5 cm

**Weight**: 40 kg

**Blood Type**: O

**Birthday**: May 7

**Skills**: Tactician, Sigil Tech

**PRN**: 0020 - 004 - 000

**EP**: 102

**APR**: 91%

**Test Results**: 100%

COMMENTS:

**Recommended for transfer to 35th Imperial Capital Defense Headquarters. Training for Elite Kagekidan Branch approved. For immediate action.**

*****Sigil Tech training highly recommended.**

*****Animum Psyche Ratio Research approved.**

Signed:

**JUDY MIZUHARA**

Head Instructor,

Imperial Capital Defense Satellite Headquarters,

KYOUTO

Lei's eyes were very wide.

"WOW~~~!!!" His amber gold eyes became expressively sparkly. "Is that..."

"Yes, your Sigil, Driger." Takao let out a long, low whistle. "Wow, it's so SPARKLY~~~!!!"

Max laughed. "Yeah, it just went in through the STEAM CLEANERS~~~!!! Hey Lei, won't you come take a look?"

Spotlights shone down on the mech from way above them. Standing at an impressive 16.3 meters tall, it was everything that Lei had imagined those prototype Sigils Dr. Mizuhara told him about before he left Kyouto.

"Armor's basic -Sigil Guard-. Height: 16.3 meters, weight: 7.5 tons, Steam Engine Output: 17,890 kg, Anpsychic Synch Ratio: 97.435 %, -Nirvana- Crystal Synch: 98.231%. Armaments: Tiger Claws, 3 sectional Tiger Fang Blade..." Kenichiro nodded. "Driger's an exceptional Sigil, if I do say so myself. Best for close and medium range attacks. Excellent for ground-based melees."

Lei looked at it. It was pure white in color, its huge arms fitted with ornate-looking fighting gloves with the _yin_/_yang_ symbols on them. There were curved golden spikes on its shoulder armor, and gold spikes on its back, and compact canisters underneath the last golden spikes. 

"Took Hiwatari Heavy Industries a good 4 years developing those," Max told Lei. "They've found a way in which the steam engines and the -Nirvana- Crystals would work together, thereby minimizing main engine and -Chi Regulator- breakdown."

"Kyrieans Effect Principle," Kenichiro explained. "Somehow, the water-steam molecules react with the Crystals, acting like south-to-south ends of 2 magnets...repelling each other, thereby creating a very powerful chain reaction that serves as the basis for the Sigil's overall power output. The -Chi Regulator- regulates our chi flow, directing our Sigils to execute our unique innate skills and attacks. When the -Chi Regulator- hits maximum...it's party TIME~~~!!! Those Team Axis members wouldn't want to get too close to a Sigil in Rave Mode. So far the only guy around here who manages to execute a perfect Rave Mode Release is Kai-senpai."

"Uh...why, is Rave dangerous?" Lei asked him.

"Normally, when you fight in your Sigil, the 3 major components: namely, the steam engine, the -Nirvana- Crystals, and the -Chi Regulator- must work in COMPLETE, ABSOLUTE harmony in order to make it even move at all. There are rare times when a -Chi Regulator- exceeds even maximum output. In so doing, a rare effect takes place: the Sigil goes into a hyper-powered, obscenely fortified and near-impossible super speed mode that would really take out your Sigil in one go if you don't know how to control it. It only lasts for a full minute, but the results are almost always great devastation and annihilation of the enemy party, if they so foolishly choose to fight the one in Rave Mode. And frazzled dendrites the morning after. Cool beans." Max grinned. "Kai may be acting so high and mighty, but he has a right, you know. Normal pilots wouldn't be able to withstand Rave Mode."

"And if there's something more powerful than the Rave Mode...it's -Nirvana Cross-. By the time you're in Rave Mode and STILL your -Chi Regulator's- pushed to even WAY past maximum of the maximum, all hell will break loose. LITERALLY. The Sigil would go berserk, its' attacks and skills and what-nots going so atrociously high, way higher than heaven itself, and NOBODY, I say NOBODY, would even be ABLE to stop it. Armageddon coming way too early for this world. That person I'm talking about...the ONLY person who was able to pull off -Nirvana Cross- and coming out of it still alive...is none other than Asato Tsuzuki." Takao nodded. "He nearly ripped entire Japan to pieces in the process, but if he didn't go berserk...well, I shudder to think what would happen and Team Axis took over Japan, then the entire world."

"..." Lei was quiet for a while, blinked, then looked over at Kenichiro. "And..."

"That's when the idea for Team Hoshi was born." Max answered for him, nodding, his eyes sad. "Mom was there when it happened. It really looked like the end of the world. Asato was 15 then, and...everything just happened so fast. The last thing Mom knew was the entire Team Axis raiding the Imperial Capital, the next thing she KNEW, the entire capital was in smoldering shambles. Asato became berserk...she said...it had become too much for him, that was why...he summoned all -Shikigami-..."

"-Shikigami-...?"

"Asato's a -Summoner-. He could summon the gods to help him in doing his duties as part of the then famous Imperial Capital Defense Corps...alongside with my mom, Takao's dad, Kai's dad, and..."

"...my father." Lei became quiet again.

"Asato-senpai barely escaped with his own life," Kenichiro said quietly. "The Imperial High Command ordered him put to death for almost causing the annihilation of the entire Japanese race...but, Daitenji-kacho stepped right in and told the High Command that he would take full responsibility for Asato-senpai. Asato-senpai's bedridden and hospitalized ever since. The Imperial High Command scorned at the idea of having that kind of Imperial Capital defender again, multiply it by having agencies in America and France at the same time...you get the idea. Setting freaks loose to fight other freaks. It's a country's worst nightmare. Asato-senpai by far is the most powerful -Summoner- in the entire imperial domains of Japan."

"..."

Takao blinked, then slapped Lei good-naturedly on his back. "Hey, why don't we take your Sigil for a test drive?"

"Test drive..." Kenichiro became SD, all-out panicky. "Takao-SENPAI~~~!!! We're forbidden to DO test drives, Daitenji-kacho would have our HEADS~~~"

"I like my head fine where it is. Besides, who says we're going outside? I was meaning the War Room." Takao grinned. "How about it, Lei?" 

Kenichiro went into the circuitry room to flip some switches and to direct some of the main mother steam-powered computer power over to the War Room, where the simulations were done, and research data was gathered and filed. He then sat on one of the chairs facing one of the huge black monitors, typing away as fast as his fingers could allow; they were a blur as he tried inputting some of the battle and simulation data onto the computer in the next room.

***_Temperatures should not exceed maximum steam pressure point_,*** Kenichiro told himself silently as lines and lines of encrypted data went zooming down the huge monitor in front of him. ***_Got to check the temperature gauge all the time, not unless you want all the data in here fried._***

He looks over his shoulder, seeing Max and Takao goof around in the War Room, putting miniature models of mountains and rivers on top of the Strat Table, including the horrid pink flamingos Max had managed to salvage from Daitenji-kacho's trash bin the other day, and he's been putting them in the simulation battles ever since. Lei was just sweatdropping on one side, a helpless look on his face.

"..." Kenichiro's deep green eyes became expressive. ***_Yes, they look like they're goofing around, but they're real whizzes on the battlefield. They're so strong. I do wish I'm a help to them, not a hindrance..._***

***_Oh thank you! THANK YOU! I am very honored...very grateful..._*** 

***_Oh do please stand UP, Ayame, you really don't need to do THAT,_*** Tsutsuji Kinogu was saying, her startling silver eyes kind as she knelt down in front of the sobbing young girl. Ayame Hasami looked up at her savior with tears in her deep green eyes, gratitude written all over her face.

Tiny Takao was blinking at the tiny boy Ayame held in her arms, who was blinking back at him, too. ***_Oh! Aunt Ayame...he's so tiny..._***

***_Please see to it that the spare room is tidied up for the Lady Ayame,_*** Mrs. Kinogu was saying. ***_She would be staying here as my honored guest and as my SISTER. I hope that this is all clear for you to understand._***

And that was how Kenichiro grew up along with Takao. Takao's grandmother, Mrs. Kinogu's mother-in-law, disliked Ayame from the beginning, with her hoyden ways and Western traits, that were severely frowned upon by the old woman, straight ancient _samurai_ stock she was.

***_If she still has honor left in her, she should have considered herself totally fallen from grace and honor their ancestors by committing seppuku,_*** she was telling Mrs. Kinogu one time. ***_As you would also have DONE, as a proper lady of samurai rank would._***

***_Father has raised us in the ways of the West, honorable mother-in-law, so it is hard for her to bend to the samurai way,_*** Mrs. Kinogu told her patiently with a small sigh. ***_I am sorry for causing this disturbance to your inner harmony, but then again, my aunts do not consider her as kin anymore, for they also disapproved my father's Western ideals in bringing us up, his children. To them, she's just a commoner who was just mistakenly born samurai._***

***_Falling in love with that simple-headed fool!_*** Lady Akiko Kinogu fumed. ***_Your aunts were very patient with her, going as far as securing her for marriage with a young man of considerable wealth and rank, yet she throws that chance away like a piece of rotted fish, and chose to live with...with that SCOUNDREL~~~!!! Then what did he do?! Left her for a whore! Leaving her heavy with that CHILD~~~!!!_*** She shuddered. ***_I don't want HIM to associate with Takao~~~as long as I am Lady of this HOUSE~~~!!!_*** 

But Lady Akiko was alone in her efforts to keep Ayame's spirits downtrodden as possible. Mr. Kinogu and Takao's grandfather, Lord Hayao Kinogu, however, accepted her and treated her kindly. 

Ayame died of tuberculosis that one cold winter's night when Kenichiro was 6. He felt so very alone then. But Takao was always there, looking out for him, protecting him from his grandmother's henchmen, who was so determined to squash the "devil's child" (as she calls Kenichiro) out of the household and out of sight. When Mr. Kinogu disappeared, Mrs. Kinogu and Lord Hayao were inconsolable, and left the 2 cousins pretty much alone on their devices against his grandmother. He was always so grateful that Takao was there, and when he grew up, he looked up to him like an older brother he never had, who accepted him for who he was. He was always anxious if he ever was any use to him, because he wasn't that strong as Takao was. 

He wanted to please him as much as he could, that was why he decided to become a Sigil Tech and followed him here to the Kagekidan to be useful to him, and to everybody else. 

Max was waving at him from the War Room. "Hey, Kenichiro! The pink flamingos are READY~~~!!! Let Lei off at 'em~~~!!!"

"..."

"Kenichiro!"

"O-oh~~~!!!" Kenichiro noded. "Yes, Max-senpai, right away!"

Lei was blinking. "What am I to do with the pink flamingos, anyway?"

"Burn THEM~~~!!!" SD Takao was laughing like a madman. "Strap yourself to that contraption over there, and we're ready to roll! Burning flamingos cost 200 points each, and if you get to burn them all in less than a minute, you'll be rewarded with Max's sugar high!"

"Is...that good or bad?" Lei ventured.

"Very, VERY good." Max had a goofy grin on his face as he strapped him onto the simulation device. "OK, Kenichiro, let him have it~~~!!!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is turning into quite an RPG. Wonder how Lei would fare in Max's sugar high? *****GRIN***** You don't have to wait TOO long for that CHAPPIE~~~!!! ^o^


	6. Fourth Moon

_Haru_:

Fourth Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: It sucks big time when you don't have ANY frigging prepaid internet card credits. Oh WELL. Anyway, I have written what was supposed to be written and ye all be the judge of what has been written. It's Yuri's TURN~~~!!! WHEE~~~!!! ^o^ ^o^ ^o^ Go, YURI~~~!!!

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, and Asato Tsuzuki and his Shikigami. They are owned by their respective owners. But I DO own the OC's portrayed herein. So no SUING!

Yuri

**Name**: Ivanov, Yuri

**Country of Origin**: Russia

**Nationality**: Russian

**Birthplace**: Petrograd

**Age**: 15

**Height**: 175 cm

**Weight**: 50 kg

**Blood Type**: AB

**Birthday**: October 18

**Skills**: Sniping

**PRN**: 0020 - 006 - 000

**EP**: 112

**APR**: 98%

**Test Results**: 100%

COMMENTS:

**Recommended for transfer to 35th Imperial Capital Defense Headquarters. Training for Elite Kagekidan Branch approved. For immediate action.**

*** Rave Mode Training approved.**

*** Nirvana Cross Training approved.**

*** Animum Psyche Ratio Research approved.**

Signed:

**JUDY MIZUHARA**,

Head Instructor,

Imperial Capital Defense Satellite Headquarters,

KYOUTO

*****Please see herein attached pertinent documents for your immediate perusal.**

"..." Kai was quiet as he stood in the shed waiting for the military dirigible to come down the airstrip runway. The rain was beginning to pour very hard, but the young man hardly noticed it. Even if he had to wait until the moon rises from somewhere east if the rain should ever let up, Kai would just stay there to meet the "other" recruit coming in from Kyouto, all the way from the Imperial Headquarters somewhere in Petrograd. From what he has heard from his father, the days of the glorious Russian czars has now passed, toppled by an angry people demanding to be heard and demanding to have a voice in the affairs of the state. The abdication, and execution by the Bolsheviks of the Czar Nicholas II's family in Ekaterinburg proved to be the start of a new regime, and soon, there were rumbling talks of a new state soon to rise from the ashes like an avenging phoenix of myth and legend. If that would be true, his father commented, it is expected that they would strike hard when the time should come for them to make themselves known as another world superpower again.

Kai looked at the beautifully engraved pocket watch he kept within the folds of his cloak, now heavily drenched in the rain. It was a gift of his grandfather's, a genuine Swiss beauty, on his 13th birthday, and he has had it ever since. As long as he kept it wound and checked every single day, the pocket watch was the only thing he trusted to tell of the time as he has seen it. There was the Hiwatari Time Table, and there was the ordinary time table. If you wanted to survive the Hiwatari Time Table, you should condition yourself to be really ahead for a good 45 minutes because Kai cannot tolerate lateness. And today was no exception.

Kai frowned, then looked into the pouring rain again, looking around for any dirigible that may happen to come their way. What was taking the dirigible so long? Did the steam engine bog down or something? But then again, Hiwatari Heavy Industries was the only company in Imperial Japan at the moment who could successfully put together an engine capable of cross-country flight without suffering any breakdown along the way, for 3 days straight. Maybe the downpour has something to do with it. In any case, the newcomer was LATE, and Kai Hiwatari wasn't exactly outfitted for this kind of etiquette breach on his behalf. 

And just as he was to look at his pocket watch again, he heard the distinct soft rumble of a steam engine powered dirigible coming somewhere from the east. Kai looked up, and soon a dark gray shape came into focus, heading straight for the runway. There were shouts, and soon, the runway was filled with people, holding out gas lanterns to illuminate their way and make everything ready for the imminent touchdown by means of pulling on ropes slippery with the rain, trying to make sense of the now muddy runway lost in the gloom of the heavy rain. This was a bad thing, for the dirigible cold come crashing down on them and pinning them as flat as pancakes if they weren't able to herd the dirigible to the safety of the steam powered gas lights that now lit up the runway.

But the gods were with them that day, and the dirigible, a seemingly ungainly thing that suddenly loomed up in front of them like some Frankenstein monster, alighted on the ground with only the softest of bumps that could hardly jar a dandelion head. There were a few shouts that called out in the gloom, sounds of steam as it hissed free from the engine somewhere up front, then another scattering of speech, and soon, the "staircase" was thrown out. Kai took this as his cue to get moving, and his red brown eyes narrow importantly and walked towards the now open passenger "cockpit", amidst splashes of mud and protecting himself from the unforgiving lashes of the downpour by means of his sleek black foldable umbrella.

"Welcome to the Imperial Capital," Kai said in flawless, faultless Russian. Yes, he didn't waste a good part of his 11 years in England playing polo and drinking tea; since he was a scion of the Hiwatari clan, a very influential business titan in imperial Japan, it was his duty to become as well-versed in the world affairs as he could possibly be, and one of them was by learning different languages. By the time he returned to Japan at the age of 11, he was well versed in 6 languages, which included Russian, English, Italian, French, Greek, Spanish, and Latin. He was now learning to speak and write Chinese that summer vacation in Switzerland when he went there with his grandfather, along with some German. If there was another thing he could be proud of aside from being a very skilled Sigil pilot, it was his gift for tongues. It was a trait that secured his inevitable future as the heir of the Hiwatari Heavy Industries, and by his gift, his family's influence would then extend all over the world. And Kai would be well-off for the rest of his days after that.

But now, what mattered to him at the moment, was the newcomer he has been sent to fetch from this airstrip, by Daitenji-kacho himself. The old man had said that he was a talented young man from the now chaotic Russia, and because of the fact that he was originally chosen to work for Team Axis, to which he politely declined. Kai had raised an eyebrow over this, but as the good soldier that he was, he did what was asked of him with no further questions in his part. So now he waited at the base of the steps, waiting for the newcomer, waiting for his charge, and then he could go back to rehearsing his lines for the play, then he would get some needed sleep.

There were footsteps, and soon the newcomer came into the light. He looked around in a somewhat calculating manner which Kai found a little irritating, and then he looked down at him. Kai returned his gaze with an equally expressionless look: for some strange reason, the newcomer's curious blue eyes that looked so pale as ice and clear as the sea on a calm day gave him an unpleasant jolt. He then blinked, then held out his hand to him.

"And you are Kai Hiwatari, I presume? Yes, Dr. Mizuhara had told me a lot about you before I left the base. The connecting ship from Hong Kong took a slight delay because of some unforeseen weather, but as you can see, I arrived at Kyouto in one piece." The young man said this all in perfect, flawless Japanese, without a hint of an accent that some locals found irritating. "Nasty weather, if I do say so myself. My name is Yuri Ivanov, nice to meet you."

"Kai Hiwatari." Kai took his hand and shook it. He now knew at once that he was not one person to mess up with. Yes, he would fare really well. He then nods. "Well then, the automobile is waiting. I am right in assuming that you are very tired from your trip, and you want to rest? Daitenji-kacho would be meeting us in the office as soon as we get back at the Kagekidan."

"Yes, yes, of course," Yuri Ivanov replied. "My Sigil would be handled by the express, right? I understand it was sent here by ship from Hong Kong."

"Yes." Kai gestured to his umbrella. "Shall we?"

There was only one thing that Yuri could ever remember of his childhood.

There was this huge palatial mansion, and everybody greeted him with fondness and respect, mostly people with blurry faces wearing dark blue clothes with stiff aprons, curtsying, and a low deep voice, and everything was all lit up with crystal chandeliers and priceless antiques, and huge paintings.

Then there was this huge explosion, and the next thing Yuri knew, he was in this dingy little room somewhere in Petrograd, with 2 men who were rapidly conversing in Russian right outside the door.

He was barely 4 years old, then, and all he had left of his past was a locket and an ornate-looking gold-trimmed box that looked like a trunk.

Yuri then grew up in an orphanage run by a monastery, and even then he knew that the Russian empire was crumbling so fast around their ears, and he has heard and seen many people coming in and out of the gates of the monastery, homeless, hungry, running from the many little volatile and violent insurrections happening in the countryside, and the monks took them in when nobody had an open door for any of them.

***_Father Boris, why are the children crying? Are they hurt?_*** Yuri had asked, when they had finished grammar study for that particular day. Father Boris Balkov (XD WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~~~!) just smiled kindly at him and gave him a look that was both old and wise.

***_Yes, Yuri, they are hurt, and because of what the bad people are doing right in the rural villages where they had come from._***

***_Why? Did those bad people take away their papas and their mamas like all of us here in the orphanage?_***

***_Yes, and no. These are such bad times, Yuri. Those bad people did not only take away their mamas and their papas; they did something really terrible, worse than that._***

***_What could be more worse than having no papa or a mama, Father Boris?_***

***_Those bad people are hurting them because they're different._***

***_Why? I don't see anything different with them, Father Boris. They still look like any boy or girl walking down the streets outside._***

***_Ah, clever, clever boy! If only they could see them just like what you did, Yuri, then those bad things would stop. But then, they are blinded. Alas, Yuri, they do not see that they are no different than you or I. They see what's inside of them and that is what they are hurting them for, Yuri._***

***_But...why?_***

***_The world outside is such a cruel, wicked place. Just don't let it break you, Yuri. Just remember, when everything goes wrong, still see the world just like the way you saw these crying children today. Then you would be at peace._*** Father Boris had a wistful look on his face after he said that. ***_Alas, my eyes are already old...you are so fortunate to see everything very clearly, Yuri. You are indeed very fortunate..._***

Yuri had held on to that thought until he grew up, and when Daitenji-kacho met him during the entrance exams of the Petrograd army training camp when he was 7, he was quite right in saying that he was a boy who had gone through a lot and yet still remains unbroken by the harsh cruel world he had first seen and experienced when the orphanage and the monastery was torn down during one very frightening firestorm involving lots and lots of people carrying guns and shooting down everything in sight, including women and children, and a lot of his friends, and even old Father Boris. He was with Mr. Dmitri Cherkovsky, who was to become his mentor in the art of sniping and gun skills in the near future.

***_He is a very rare and gifted child._***

***_Yes, Daitenji, he is. I am very honored to become his mentor._***

***_Yes, of course._*** Daitenji-kacho smiled at him in a grandfatherly-like way. ***_Hello, Yuri. I am very glad and honored to meet you._***

***_..._*** Yuri could remember himself as being very shy, then. He was just looking at Daitenji-kacho with wide, blinking eyes, then he scuttled to the safety behind Mr. Cherkovsky's long billowing coat. Yuri was still looking at Daitenji-kacho from behind him, though, with his wide, blinking eyes, clutching at the coat tightly with his small pale hands. 

The 2 old men laughed. Daitenji-kacho then reached out and gave him a very affectionate ruffle of his hair on his head, smiling broadly. 

***_You're going to be a great man someday, Yuri. I would be looking forward to that day._***

And today was that day.

Yuri can't believe that he has come to the Kagekidan at last, and he was going to meet Daitenji-kacho again after 8 long years. 

And he was very glad.

"Mr. Ivanov, we're already here."

Yuri blinked, then looked outside. The Kagekidan was there, alright, already alight with the wonderful electricity Hiwatari Heavy Industries took a good 4 years to perfect (involving the use of a steam-powered heavy turbine engine) along with the compact steam engines of the Sigils he has heard so much about, along with the use and discovery of -Nirvana- crystals and pretty much everything else.

Yuri stepped down from the automobile held out by the chauffeur holding an umbrella, took one look around, and sighed.

It really felt so much like going home at last.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Russia at that time is already 2 years into being a new republic, after the tsarist regime was successfully overthrown on November of 1917. It is understandable that prior to the abdication of Czar Nicholas II, the people were already unhappy from the stifling confines of the regime, and there were many small wars that broke out in the countryside, because of oppression and the like. Petrograd, where Yuri was from, is known as Leningrad today, after the father of the Russian Revolution, Lenin (V. I. Ulyanov). About where the last czar was executed, I will stand corrected here, either it was at Ekaterinberg or Nuremberg. Thank you.


	7. Fifth Moon

_Haru_:

Fifth Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: **HARRY POTTER 5 IS JUST SOOO FINE~~~!!! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~~~~!!! ** XD Errh...ahem. Anyway, it's Asato's turn! I would be introducing some new Shikigami here, as a result of his very tragic and frightening breakdown after that Armageddon 4 years ago. **GOD ASATO at 19 YEARS OF AGE~~~!!! **XD XD XD I guess he would be REALLY hot. 3 R./R please!

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, and Asato Tsuzuki, and his 12 Shikigami. They are owned by their respective authors. On an added note, some of their elemental affiliations and powers are just completely made up by me, as I have no idea what they actually do. I haven't seen any site with ample information about the 12 original Shikigami below; these are bits and pieces I have managed to get from an awesome site, Compulsion. (thank you, thank you, Theria-san!). So these are some of her thoughts about the Shikigami. I am just borrowing it, OK? But I do own the OC's and the new Shikigami I would be introducing here. So no SUING~~~!!!

Asato

***These are taken from the medical files and medical journals of Dr. Junji Takada, 60 years of age, part of the Avatar Phase.

**Name**: Tsuzuki, Asato

**Country of Origin**: Japan

**Nationality**: Japanese

**Birthplace**: Tokyo

**Age**: 19

**Height**: 179 cm

**Weight**: 54 kg

**Blood Type**: AB

**Birthday**: February 24

**Skills**: Summoning Aetheria, Shadow Aetheria, Psychic Aetheria

**PRN**: 0010 - 000 - 000 

**EP**: 578

**APR**: 100%

**Test Results**: 100%

**Affiliation**: Imperial Capital Defense Corps

**Status**: Aether Knight

**Avatar Phase to Nirvana Obsolete**: 94.938% synch

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_____

**CASE # 127 - 870003**

**Examiner:** Dr. Junji Takada **Attention: **Imperial Capital

**Assisting Examiners:** Dr. Kunihiko Maeda Defense Command

Dr. Hideo Takemura

**Date Examined**: 06-24-1915

**Time:** 0800 hours

**_Please note that this report is certified true and correct._**

_It has come to our conclusion that the patient in question is in very critical condition the moment he was brought to our attention during Armageddon. It is not clear, however, what is causing the erratic state of his vital functions, although it is a very clear case of neuroglobulin dysfunction in relation to the sudden upsurge of Nirvana energy. Animum Psychic Ratio very faint, traces of the Kyrieans Effect very much alarming. Patient in question has lost a great deal of blood, brain activity almost non-existent, but he's still living, nonetheless; just alive, but barely. Bouts of catatonia very sporadic, Kyrieans Effect is not making him sleep, eat, and drink. Will continue on observing for some changes, bad or good. But we have to keep him alive. Avatar Phase is almost completed. We are watching, and waiting. Buddha help us now. _

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_____

**Shikigami**

- _nature gods, nature spirits. Guardians of death and life, they are oftentimes said to bring about the balance of everything material or eternal. Aetheria pretty much unknown, they continue to baffle even the most brilliant para-psyche scientists. Although quite numerous, they generally fall into 9 categories: Wind, Water, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Time and Space, Ice, Shadow, and Holy. Perhaps the most brilliant explanations I have ever encountered in searching for the meaning of Shikigami is by way of a noted para-psyche scientist named Dr. Masao Kinogu. I've written down some excerpts from his book, **Finding**_** _The Way of the Gods_**. 

**...Shikigami are the Gods of Life and Death, of Destruction and Creation. They are in everything we sought to understand: how the flowers bloom, how the wind blows and nods a tender bamboo sprig's head, how the seasons change and how we breathe life until our very death. It is not known where they have come from, but mythical epics from the feudal age tell of stories of Gods who are immortal yet share life and death with the very mortals themselves. Are they for salvation, or are they tools for Heaven's destruction of we sinful children of this plane? To better understand the nature of Shikigami, we must first learn about life and how we all truly accept it.**

**...Major Shikigami: These by far are the most powerful Shikigami I have ever encountered, almost all of which are controlled by a young boy my colleague and I have encountered: that boy's name is Asato Tsuzuki.**

** _Suzaku_: Goddess of Fire and of Death and Rebirth, Protectress of the South**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Fire**

** - as the legendary Guardian Phoenix of the South, she wields the Flames of Life**

** _Souryuu_: God of Water and Purification, Protector of the East**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Water**

** - as the legendary Guardian Dragon of the East, he wields the Water of Purification**

** _Genbu_: God of Earth and Protection, Protector of the North**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Earth**

** - as the legendary Guardian Tortoise of the North, he wields the Earth of Redemption**

** _Byakko_: God of the Winds and Righteous Judgment, Protector of the West**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Wind**

** - as the legendary Guardian Tiger of the West, he wields the Winds of Judgment**

** ...how he has managed to wield and control these 4 Gods, is a matter of pure mystery. Subsequent testing to the Avatar**

** Phase reveal more Shikigami, of which I am to note here. His sensitivity to the Nirvana Crystals is most fascinating,**

** as his release of pure aetheric energy in times of utter distress. His aether release is 45% above normal APR in his **

** normal state. What more if he manages to break through his Phaser Limit...**

**_Rikugou_: Deity of the 1st Rank, Divination and Astrology**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Unknown, presumably Elemental**

** _Touda_: Deity of the 1st Rank, Endless Chaos**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Fire, presumably the Flames of Hell. **

** ***Mr. Tsuzuki only released him once, during an "air raid". Suffice it to say, I wouldn't want to see anything**

** like it again.**

** _Kijin_: Deity of the 1st Rank (?), Water of Divination**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Water**

** *** Most curious, as he said so himself that he is one of Souryuu's children. His power lies with the divination**

** of "past-present future".**

** _Tenkou_: Deity of the 1st Rank (?), Water of Healing**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Water**

** ***Younger sister to Kijin. Her power is mostly healing.**

** _Taimou_: Deity of the 1st Rank, Time and Space**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Time and Space**

** ***Her power is mostly concerned with the constricting of things.**

** _Kouchin_: Deity of the 1st Rank, Music (?) and Tone**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Tone**

** ***Her power lies with the music of the _biwa_ she carries. Mostly for healing, rejuvenation.**

** _Tenkuu_: Deity of the 1st Rank, Healing (?)**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Healing (?)**

** ***Of all Shikigami Mr. Tsuzuki controls, he is easily the largest, as he is a palace. Since all other**

** Shikigami take refuge inside him to rest (?), then he is used mostly for full recovery of their **

** elemental prowess.**

** _Daion_: Elemental, 2nd rank, Non-Elemental (?)**

** - Elemental Affiliation: Unknown, presumably Non-Elemental**

** ***Of all the other Shikigami, his powers are still a complete mystery, as he is a POT. Maybe a**

** cornucopia of sorts, like those spoken about in ancient Western mythology...?**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**_____**

**CASE # 127 - 870003**

**Examiner:** Dr. Junji Takada **Attention: **Imperial Capital

**Assisting Examiners:** Dr. Kunihiko Maeda Defense Command

Dr. Hideo Takemura

**Date Examined**: 03-10-1919

**Time:** 1200 hours

**_Please note that this report is certified true and correct._**

_Same case as always. His response to the Nirvana Crystals are steadily becoming very volatile again, Kyrieans Effect almost at its peak. Suffered a relapse just a few hours ago, almost succeeded in tearing off his life support, cut through his wrists by manner of a blunt dinner knife before some of the able-bodied support staff managed to stop his newest attempt on his life, and he was given sedatives, 5.8% higher dosage than normal. Nurses at the hospital tell us of instances where he could withstand the normal dosage of sedatives for a normal person...but then again, he isn't exactly normal. His ascension into the Nirvana Obsolete almost complete. Awaiting further instructions. _

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The elderly nurse smiled at the catatonic patient kindly.

"There you are, young man. Oh my, don't you look really well today? Look, I've picked these roses up from the flower market today, aren't they lovely? Yes, you did say you liked roses, didn't you? Well then, I'll be back in time for your bedtime medicine. Would that be alright with you? Good, good." She then took one last look and minutely arranged a wayward rose, smiled, got her tray on which small glass phials of medicine stood, then left the hospital room. She closed the door behind her with an inaudible click.

"..." Asato Tsuzuki was just staring out of the window, his right free amethyst eye staring out onto the darkness outside his window, watching the rain beat upon it in relentless sheets. His other eye was covered by a clean gauze bandage wound twice around his head, some of its threads falling over in a haphazard way above his brow, obstructing its view. There were 2 tubes that wound its way and its electromagnetically-sensitive ends were taped over his left breast, measuring his heartbeat by means of the Hiwatari Heavy Industries revolutionary steam-powered electrocardiogram (the world's very first), its steam canisters beside the ungainly white steel-clad device. It took Hiwatari Heavy Industries' top scientists a good 4 years developing this contraption, along with the -Sigils-. There were really frightening episodes in which Asato almost died, the mysterious attacks coming twice or sometimes even 5 times in any given day, and the frightening part of these attacks were its tendency to go off in very sporadic bursts. So the need for this device, to monitor his daily heart rate. It arrived just a few weeks ago, due to the help of Mr. Souichiro Hiwatari, the Hiwatari Heavy Industries' philantrophist chairman, almost the same time that the Imperial Capital Defense's Kagekidan branch started receiving -Sigils-. The Imperial Capital Defense were most anxious to keep him alive, the very same persons leading it now condemning him to death 4 years ago.

But Asato didn't really care if he lived or died.

Why was he kept alive, anyway?

It was better this way, he was very far off from the people who checked on him every single day, talking to him kindly as if he could still comprehend what they were saying.

There were periods when he was still conscious of what was going around him, and once he tried killing himself by slashing his wrists so that he could end this miserable life, this cursed life, and yet he still lived, for there were other people around him at the time and stopped him from carrying out his little plan. But these periods became very far-off and very rare, and in the past 4 years he was in this hospital, there was a period that he would go absolutely blank for 3 months, and the doctors were very frantic, for they thought he was dead. These past couple of months he remained as catatonic as always, very quiet and still, if it weren't for the small squiggly lines on his electrocardiogram, he would be thought of as dead.

But what was being dead, anyway?

A cessation of heartbeats?

A cessation of retaining memories?

A cessation of being able to feel any emotion?

What was it?

There were small patches of light, bright patches, rainbow-colored patches, that always visited Asato whenever he tried to think who he was. 

He had strange, often impossible dreams.

But...

Were they really...

Memories?

One of those bright-colored patches stood out more vividly than the rest of the other bright patches put together.

He was running, he was running as fast as his legs could carry him, running away from blurred shapes that chased him across an even blurrier landscape.

What were they?

Animals...?

***_Get lost! Get LOST! You DEMON~~~!!! You MONSTER~~~!!!_***

Asato then could feel pain, as small rocks hurtled at him from nowhere, cutting through his arms, his legs, drawing blood.

Then Asato remembered.

Yes, this was his memory.

As a small boy, he always knew he was different. But try as he may to become close to other people, they shunned him, they turned him away. Why? Wasn't he human? Even if he wasn't...he always wanted to become human. To be loved. To be a part of anything...

***_Get lost you MONSTER~~~!!! We don't need you HERE~~~!!!_***

Voices...

Yes, those kids chased him off the road one day out of whim, throwing all those rocks at him, chanting that same hateful phrase over and over again, taunting him, laughing, as the small thin child ran and ran and ran, covering his head helplessly with his arms, shielding himself from the quick sharp pains he felt as some of the rocks' jagged edges tore and scraped and stung at his skin.

How was it to become human?

Was it to feel pain?

Was it to feel alone?

If that were the case, then Asato was definitely human.

But...

Why do they hate him?

Why do they hurt him?

Was he even real...?

***_Asato...whatever happens, if the whole world seems to fall down all around you, please always remember that you are not alone._***

Another bright patch visits him, and he sees the kind face of Dr. Judy Mizuhara smiling down at him. Asato remembered how she looked so beautiful, with her shiny blond hair up in coiffed curls about her nape, held in place by many pins. Magic pins, she called them, and this is what made Asato usually laugh.

***_You are special. It is not some freak mistake that you are born into this world. You were brought here because you were sent to do something very important._*** Dr. Mizuhara's bright blue eyes looked so wistful in the dying sun that day. ***_Remember that well...Asato._***

He was sent here...yes, he believed her.

But what was his real purpose of being sent here, anyway?

To kill people?

To destroy?

***_I don't care what everybody else says...you're still human, Asato!_*** Takao Kinogu was telling him, with a very serious face of a 9 year old. ***_You're really nice, and you're really gentle! The most important thing is that you're Asato Tsuzuki...and NOBODY else in the world could make a claim like that! OK, Asato...?_***

Takao was always so kind to him, when the whole world hated him; he was like a little brother he never had.

And yet...

***_ASATO~~~!!! What do you THINK you're DOING~~~?! A-SA-TOOOO~~~!!!_*** Masao Kinogu was screaming at him. 

Asato looked at his hands, tears streaming down from his very pained amethyst eyes, as sobs racked his frail 15 year old body. Blood...there was blood everywhere...dripping...covering him...

Fei Kon was slumped in a pool of his own blood in his cockpit a few feet away, Geistall slumped over in a pool of its liquefied Nirvana Crystals. Astalte floated over him, the mocking laughter of the Axis pilot so loud and deafening to his ears.

***_He died..._*** he sobbed. ***_He DIED..._***

But before Astalte could deal that death-dealing sword blow to him, Asato screamed, letting out everything at once, his fears, his anger, his sadness, his helplessness. Tears poured out in a spray as every emotion swelled up inside him and burst, sending his aether energy out of whack, the Nirvana Crystals furiously glowing a glaring white, as Falcrest floated in a blinding sphere of light above them, scattering bolts of psychic energy everywhere, sending buildings it touched exploding, scattering debris, its unforgiving maelstrom turning its anger unto the hapless Axis soldiers, their screams vanishing instantly as their own -Relics- vaporized, destruction everywhere, chaos everywhere~~~

Then just as quickly as that, Asato ceased to remember who he was, and the bright patches of light swirled about him, faster and faster it went, spiraling into dizzying heights, surrounding him, enveloping him completely, until the noise and the colors and the scenes and everything about himself dissipated into nothingness, emptiness, as this unimaginable void came and swallowed him whole, swallowed him completely, his mind turning abruptly blank, leaving him with only a shell of a being that was his sole existence in this world.

The rain beat upon his window even more relentlessly, and Asato took no notice of it, as he had not taken any notice of the outside world where he was, for the last 4 years. His right eye mirrored the raindrops as they fell, their incessant pattering a welcome respite from the unbearable heat that had almost fried him to crisp just that morning.

Was it really possible...that he actually felt it?

"..." Asato returned to gazing blankly at the window, his eye, revealing nothing of his emotions that lie underneath, lurking, hiding, waiting for that exact same moment when he could finally be alive again.

Or wasn't he...?

Takao was blinking at the newcomer.

"Gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you our newest teammate, aside from Mr. Kon over there." Kai gestured to the young man beside him. "Please behave yourselves."

"Hi! My name is Yuri Ivanov. How do you do?" Yuri asked them cheerfully, his eyes closed happily as he did so. He held out his hand. "Sorry for dripping water like this on your carpet, the weather's just so horribly disagreeable today..." 

"Hey, no problem!" Max grinned at him as he shook Yuri's outstretched hand. "Welcome aboard, Yuri!"

"Are you Russian?" Kenichiro asked with wide, deep green eyes.

"Yes, totally." 

"Transferred from the Kyouto branch...?"

"Got almost stranded in Hong Kong, but here I am, safe and sound from Kyouto. Arrived just this late, late afternoon." 

"Wow..."

"This must be a day of newcomers." Kai shrugged. "Well then, it is most proper if you lot introduce yourselves before I whisk him off to Daitenji-kacho."

"For once you are ABSOLUTELY right, Kai." Max grinned even more. "My name is Maximillian Christopher Mizuhara. Yeah, she's MY Mom, if you're planning to ask, and yeah, I'm half-American."

"I'm Takao Kinogu."

"Kenichiro Hasami."

"And I'm Lei Kon," Lei said last, nodding at him.

"Yes, Team Hoshi." Yuri nodded. "I'm really glad to meet you all!"

Takao blinked again. "How come you speak Japanese so GOOD?"

"I had very able teachers. I really have to thank them; 3 years ago, my Japanese was SO abysmal." 

"So what can you DO?" Takao asked again.

"I could sing and I could act," Yuri said nonchalantly. "But I'm afraid, it's nowhere near as polished as yours. My actual forte is dancing."

"..." Lei had turned into a chibi neko. "Uh...do we REALLY have to do all those things...? I thought the Kagekidan was a top military facility...."

"It is, but we have to act as a group of singing and dancing thespians as not to blow our cover to the many Axis spies wandering about. I thought you'd already digested THIS?" Kai sighed again. "Come, Mr. Ivanov, Daitenji-kacho is expecting you at the office."

The 2 of them leave. SD Takao was very angry, steam coming out of his nostrils. "OOOOoooooOOOOOooooHHHHHHhhhh I REALLY am going to get that VILE that UNCOUTH snobby BRAT~~~"

Max tossed him some of the pink flamingos during test drive a while ago. "Well, we really can't make him change even if we wanted to; he's not exactly Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Takao."

"You know, he'd make a GREAT lead if we were to star in a play like that," Takao muttered. "Yes! I'll ask Daitenji-kacho if he would agree to that very IDEA!"

"And what would WE be, a couple of rosewood display CABINETS? No, thanks. I've had better luck acting as a street post during this school play when I was in 3rd grade." Max playfully tossed another pink flamingo at him. "Your affection rating with Mr. Hiwatari would literally be more than abysmally zero."

"I wasn't seeking Kai's stupid affection! I just want to THROTTLE HIM~~~!!!" SD Takao was a furious little burning ogre. "I don't care if he flames me with DRANZER just this once I-WANT-TO-THROTTLE-HIM~~~~!!!"

"Takao-senpai..." Kenichiro said with a sweatdrop. 

"Hahaha, Kai would DEFINITELY love that." Max looked over at Lei. "Sorry about Kai's outburst again, Lei. There are times that he's just SO unusually cranky..."

"It's...alright."

Max was then giving him another evil grin. SD Lei started to sweatdrop. "Uh...Max...what is it?"

"You burned a total of 973 flamingos, so times 200 gives you a GRAND total of...194,600 POINTS~~~!!!" SD Max was grinning very evilly. "And you KNOW what that MEANS, Lei?"

Lei looked blank.

"It means you have to run now, Lei. And FAST." Takao patted his back. "Trust me, you wouldn't want to be at the receiving line of Max's sugar high."

"B-but...b-but...Max kept throwing those flamingos at ME, how could I not flame them OFF~~~?!" SD Lei said in a really panicked voice.

"That shows that you're exceptionally gifted in the ways of a Sigil pilot, Lei, and I must say, you're a REALLY damn good one." SD Max was now laughing like a madman. "Well what do you say Lei? Turbo, Super Turbo, or Omega TURBO?!"

"H-huh?!"

"It means the Revenge of the Muriel PLUSHIES~~~!!!" Takao gestured to the sack that Max had managed to filch from nowhere. "Trust me when I say Omega Turbo's the kindest. Too fast, too evil, but totally bloodless compared to the other 2. Well, Lei?"

Lei didn't have time to answer for Max had now chased him out of the room.

Kenichiro was sweatdropping. "Should we ready ice bags, Takao-senpai?"

"By any means, Kenichiro." SD Takao had a silly grin on his face. "Come, we might be able to make it past the Hall of Portraits before Lei totally succumbs to Muriel. I hope Lei regains consciousness soon..."

******************

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: Evil, evil, EVIL~~~!!! Max is so EVIL~~~~!!! Who the heck is Muriel, ANYWAY?! Let's just say he/she/it is the precursor of a **certain purple talking dinosaur**. ***GRIN, GRIN*** On an added note, the _____ on top is supposed to represent a staple wire. ^^;; Yes, I know, it is ODD. The debut of Team Axis coming right UP! 3 3 3 3


	8. Sixth Moon

_Haru_:

Sixth Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Hi again, everybody, for another dose of Bey Blade - Sakura Taisen style! ^^;; Now that I've introduced the main guy characters, it's time to introduce the female ones. Yup, the debut of ...TEAM AXIS~~~!!! ^o^ ^o^ ^o^ Now, why Axis?! I'll tell you later. From this point on things would get pretty interesting. To all my readers, a **hontou DOMO ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITA** for all your unwavering support! Without you guys, I would amount to absolutely nothing. **^~^** SANNNNN-KYUUUUUUU~~~~!!! 

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bey Blade and all its characters; same goes with Sakura Taisen, as they're owned by their respective authors. The OC's and some of the terminologies mentioned here are absolutely mine, though; I would really appreciate **if you ask me permission FIRST** before attempting to put it on your fics or something. Hey, at LEAST give the author some credit (same thing goes to things you see in and around the internet, and other fanfics in general; I try my best to give them credit in one way or the other); he or she was the one who sweated and cried blood and tears just to be able to come up with those stuff! I tell you, I got plagiarized once by means of a school paper, I DON'T want it to happen again. The feeling is mutual for the other authors out there; and if you happen to have a fanfic that was PLAGIARIZED, you'll understand what I mean. It's not really nice. All this are yours for the taking, I just want you to give me some credit (as with the other authors, as well). It's not that hard, right? Anyway, on with the show! 

The sound of the ancient organ playing in the background sent a flurry of doves a-flutter, and the tolls of the bells were heard all throughout the ancient Middle Age walled city somewhere in Germany, calling the faithful to flock into the walls of the old stone cathedral for the blessing of the priest and for the hearing of the Good News for their weary souls to feed upon. As the mass started and the entire cathedral was filled with the cherubic singing of the choir, a man wearing flowing black robes and carrying a black parasol was seen strolling through the old cemetery grounds behind the cathedral, walking with an impatience of a man who was on a very important errand that he simply could not leave lying around for a few minutes more before deciding to do it. The rain was pouring down on him relentlessly, flooding the cobble stoned pathway with little pools here and there, and there were small splashes as his feet trod upon the pools and sent the lower hem of his robes dripping with water. He did not mind it, though; he went on until he reached the old marble mausoleum located at the end of the pathway, and fumbled with the rusty old padlock before going in. The faded marble harp-playing cherubs were the only ones witness to his intrusion of this peaceful little cemetery, and there was nobody else around to spy on him; already, the clouds hovering above the walled city were a deep black, the color of night, and to any given casual stroller walking around in the rain outside would interpret it to a night of howling winds and increasingly bad weather that would certainly last until tomorrow. 

The rusted old padlock whined sharply as its hasp slowly became loose; and the man looked around the cemetery quickly, scanning for anything that was quite suspicious, as the padlock gave off a dead give-away that could send those imperialist dogs running for a 500 meter radius around the vicinity. Then, seeing there was none, the man pulled the gate open and walked into the pathway leading to the interior of the mausoleum, closing the gate again with a careful swing, replacing the padlock as it was, dangling loosely from its hasp, then he continued into the mausoleum itself.

The interior was cold, and a stale smell of dried up flowers greeted his nose as he opened the beautiful stained glass doors that led within. The man then shook out excess water from his folded-up parasol, and his robes as well; then stepped onto the marble flooring. The stained glass depiction of the crucifixion was upon the entire floor of the mausoleum, scattering its muted colors by means of muted light from somewhere upon the ceiling; and the man gazed upon it for a few seconds more before heading straight to the ornately carved marble tomb in the middle, lying right under the ornate black metal candle-strewn "chandelier", its candles snuffed out by the passing of ages, as nobody bothered to light them anymore. 

The muted colors of the crucifixion scene lighted up the man's face dimly. He was quite young, although there were some silver strands that were beginning to encroach upon his neat dark blue coiffure; and his eyes were cold as that of a hawk's, golden and reproachful underneath the dim lights lighting up the mausoleum's interior. A beautiful crucifix made of glass and thinnest silver was hung about his neck, glinting like a small beacon, and small glasses were upon his powerful hooked nose, with nary a frame; it was just upon his nose and did not fall off, stuck as it was on the bridge of his nose.

He stared intently at the tomb before him.

"_Rose and cross are thee,_

_Bearing upon thee the wings of salvation;_

_As the thornly crown weighs upon He the entire burden of the world,_

_The glass will lead us to blackness,_" he whispered softly. 

At first there was absolute silence, then the unmistakable sound of an ancient contraption working, as the tomb before him opened, and its halves parted cleanly in the middle to show a dusty flight of marble stairs that descended somewhere into the blackness. The man got his folded-up parasol, looked behind him one last to check for any stragglers, then went down the stairs, his footsteps echoing starkly in the stillness of the chambers.

The man got himself a torch and some flint before the gateway above him closed slowly. He struck the flint with 2 swipes to the ragged stone wall beside him before it sparked, then he lit the oil-soaked torch with it before replacing the flint onto the hidden recess just beyond where the steps ended and joined with a narrow pathway.

The flames sprang up, and the man's eyes adjusted in the gloom that pervaded somewhere beyond the vicinity of his torch's bright, glowing area of visibility. The air down here was much colder, and the man drew his robes about him more closely, then proceeded down the narrow pathway of gloom, his parasol held tightly to one side, as if expecting an incoming attack from around him any second now.

The pathway was uneven, the walls on its sides hewn out of solid rock, and there were times that the man stumbled upon small rocks and an occasional crunch with his foot. He didn't need to illuminate what was that he stepped on; a few stray rats and occasional cats go in here and never got out, and it was their skeletons that he had so stepped upon with a very crunchy noise.

The path seemed to go on for ages until he saw the faint glimmer of light ahead. The man, seeing that he had come to the end of his dark ordeal at last, proceeded to walk more quickly. The scent of candles told him that he was getting nearer, and the scent of incense told him that he was just a few steps away. The man then went through the very narrow opening at the end of the pathway by moving along on his back, then emerged, and was very glad to breathe in clean fresh air again.

"You're late."

The man dipped the torch he was holding onto the small marble basin of water beside the opening and didn't look up until the flames had completely extinguished. "The imperialists had been so relentless today. I had to skulk around like a rat for the last 3 hours getting here straight from the monastery and I had near brush-ins with their stinking operatives. It's not safe to walk around in the daylight anymore."

"I keep forgetting you're scared of the dark." There was a hiss as a cigarette was extinguished by means of another marble basin at the other side, followed quickly by light laughter. "You had always been hopeless."

"I will ignore that remark, or else the Knighthood would have one less stupid Acolyte." The man gazed at him with his cold, reproachful golden eyes. "Have they arrived?"

"A few minutes before you. I have never seen the Kaiser act so unusually agitated today."

"Must be, because he sees you're in with us, now." The man nodded. "I'll head on in."

The man entered through the magnificent-looking rock cave before them, alight with all the candles that were blazing brightly from within. The room beyond it was very incredible: lighted by candles from the natural niches that were found on the rocks that hung above them, it looked more like nature's reproduction of the grand cathedral that stood above them than anything else. The floors were of a highly polished white marble wherein a stylized depiction of a rose, cross, and thorn crown were ingeniously worked into by the tiniest gradations of the different colored marble itself. It drops off abruptly at the center, where an ornate bridge spanned the rest of the way leading to the ornate wrought-silver and stained glass gates at the other side. The bridge traveled over dark, calm waters, but every now and then, one could hear the distinct sound of bells ringing underneath it, as if there was another cathedral itself beneath the cold, unforgiving waters. Standing just before the bridge was a solitary figure dressed in heavy scarlet robes who turned around just as the man went in. 

"Ah, Geissler. You have arrived." An elderly man wearing ornate scarlet robes wherein a crest of a rose, a cross, and a thorn crown intertwined and embroidered together looked up at him, very much relieved. "We were beginning to worry, the Kyrieans Barrier was acting up again..."

"Were the Mahannon Crystals strapped on as I told you to?"

"Yes...yes, they were." The elderly man looked extremely agitated. "But there were times when she blacked out...we thought she wouldn't be able to make it..."

"Nonsense. She is not an ordinary girl, and you know it. The Knighthood had searched for her for centuries on end, and it will not end just like that." 

"Ah, of course...I know...I know..."

"..." The man known as Geissler looked at him again. "Where are the others?"

"They are waiting for you at the Oblivion. Lilith is with them."

"Good, good." Geissler nodded, then went off towards the silver gates at the end of the narrow bridge that spanned over the calm waters below. "I will see to 'Sophia' first." 

"As you wish. I will speak to Lilith." With that, the old man went away, and Geissler pushed the doors open lightly as if they were not worth a hundred pounds each in weight.

The doors closed behind him, and Geissler looked up. There, like a very magnificent free- hanging oversized lantern of some kind, was an ornate stained glass representation of the crest the old man wore on his robes, lighted by means of different tall candles located in ingenious tiers hidden all around the place. The chamber in turn led off to 5 different chambers that lay in a star pattern all around the "crest lantern", the doors all closed tight, several Latin inscriptions written in Gothic lettering from the middle point up to each of the respective door that lay at the edge of the chamber.

He went towards the middle door, then waited. He could feel the Barrier's presence, as searingly as that of a burning brand upon his flesh. He reached out and pushed it open, and a bright white light bathed him as he stood before it, suffusing him with a different kind of warmth he had never experienced before.

Geissler then went in without another word.

"Gather round the Knights of the maudlin Table," a young woman said venomously as she stood in the ornate waiting room filled with many furniture that were both classy and harkened the richness of a bygone era. She flipped her dark silver hair over her shoulder. "What is taking him so long?"

"He is paying respects to 'Sophia', as his usual way," the old man said in a soothing voice. The young woman glared at him, then sniffed and looked away. The old man sighed. Geissler should hurry; he had no intentions of a 21 year-old woman ripping the Visitor's Lounge Room apart by means of her _Morgana_. Besides, the other Knights would be coming very soon; and they, like that woman he was with now, were not really known to be very patient people.

The young girls were still in that other room, and they must be really nervous about the whole deal. Hanging around with a psychotic woman for 16 years have definitely made them really anxious and pressure driven as to make their jobs perfect without any hitch; talents that were highly prized by Axis itself.

Just as he was beginning to relax, the double doors to the Lounge Room swung open, and the Knights all came in, dressed in their respective colors and similar uniforms: robes with the crest emblazoned down the middle of their backs, and upon their left breasts. They wore German Imperial Guard uniforms beneath the robes, and their respective swords were strapped by means of ornate silver-buckled belts and scabbards about their waists. The old man gulped. Having Geissler alone in a room with him was intimidating enough; the Knights who came into the Lounge Room just now was enough to give him a monstrous heart attack.

"Where is Geissler?" one of the more imposing robed men asked the old man, his voice very low and thick with that unmistakable Sicilian accent. "I told him before, as I've told him many times, that his illusions are hurting the Knighthood MORE than it could help it, Wilhelm Bauer."

"He is coming along," the old man who was known as Wilhelm Bauer replied, his breath coming out in a wheeze. 

"He will not stop until his precious 'Sophia' would be gained back at all costs," still another muttered. 

"Foolhardy, but I must admit, he is very crucial to realize Axis' goals, as he is the Kaiser's grandson," another said in a soft, pleasant voice. "Could we blame him?"

"He believes that he is in love with a ghost," the woman with Bauer replied, her voice becoming even more venomous. "If he doesn't stop pretending, Axis would fall down around our ears. And we still haven't even exacted revenge on those...monsters..."

"I believe I am hearing the rant of an enraged, jealous woman," the same pleasant voice said with a light laugh.

There was an unmistakable sound of a sword coming loose from its scabbard, and the next thing Bauer knew, the woman was holding her saber at the side of her taunting "adversary's" neck. "One more WORD we'll all be hearing your death rattles..." she said spitefully.

There was laughter, and the man, who had long wavy light blond hair and sky blue eyes, lightly but firmly pushes the woman's saber blade out of the way and smiled at her angelically. "If that were the case, Lilith, it would be impossible. How could I hear my own death rattles when I'm already dead?"

More laughter. Bauer shook his head. "Honestly, Herrault, you should know BETTER not to get her totally riled like so. You do know you're risking decapitation every time you tease her."

"Ah, I wouldn't dream of having my head roll away from my neck; I like it just the way it is. I have enough grisly stories told by my grandmother by means of our noble decapitated ancestors to last me several hundred lifetimes."

"In any case, Geissler should be back here." The man with the Sicilian accent frowned. "What is taking him SO long?"

"Well then we can't WAIT for him any longer." The woman known as Lilith looked over at Bauer. "They are ready. Old man, you could call them on now, they're just in that other room."

Bauer blinked, then looked over at them

Lilith raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"Shouldn't we wait for..."

"Time is wasted, Bauer, Axis shouldn't be kept waiting," Lilith told him irritably.

"Well, in that case..." Bauer cleared his throat, then looked at the gathered Knights, then glanced to the closed double doors at the end of the room where he was standing next to. "Girls...if you please."

There was silence, then the double doors at the other end of the room slowly swung open.

4 girls wearing German Imperial Guard uniforms with short skirts, different colored tights and boots in their respective different colors according to their elemental alignments, went forward and stood in a perfect line in front of them.

"May I present...the -Elemental Knights-. Step forward and introduce yourselves, please." 

There were footsteps.

"Isabella Marcioni, -Earth Relic- pilot, Astalle."

A tall girl with olive skin and dark brown eyes and curly black hair that reached to the middle of her back stepped forward and placed her closed right fist over her breast before retreating in line again.

"Alexandra Schlessinger, -Wind Relic- pilot, Weinstadt."

A girl as tall as the first girl was stepped forward, did the same thing as her predecessor did, and retreated back in line. She had flaxen hair and large gray eyes.

"Eva Miklos, -Water Relic- pilot, Tallas."

A girl with light blue hair and violet eyes stepped forward and retreated.

"Stephanie Randell, -Fire Relic- pilot, Soldiver."

A girl with orange hair and dark blue eyes stepped forward and retreated.

"Team Axis ready for deployment," Bauer said proudly.

"Seems one is missing," a man with short unnaturally straight deep green hair muttered.

Lilith had her arms crossed over her chest.

"She is here, but Geissler is 'paying' his respects to her in THAT chamber," she said crossly. "The -Light Relic- pilot, of Edelweiss. His 'Sophia'."

"'Sophia', indeed!" One of them snorted. 

Bauer twiddled his fingers nervously.

"We really can't blame him; he had waited for her so long, it's natural that he would miss her." The man with a pleasant voice named Herrault smiled again angelically, his eyes closed happily. "It had been centuries..."

Geissler was leaning against the young girl encased in a series of purest white wings hanging by means of several silver chains from the ceiling. She was sleeping, her wonderful hair the color of faded autumn glistening as several loose locks of it fell in waves almost to the pool of water where she was hanging over and was imprisoned, for the last 9 years of her life.

The wings which held her were no ordinary wings; they were made of a curious shiny purest white metal, and it had several eyes on it, its many eyeballs looking in and around the room of its own free will, and the eyes moved freely independent of each other. The eyes were of a clear crystalline blue, and all of them were now looking at Geissler at the same time. 

"'Sophia...'" Geissler whispered. He smiled wistfully. "Yes...it won't be long now. You will be back in my arms again..."

Several purest white feathers flew past in a flurry, encasing the both of them in a shimmering white cocoon.

Yes.

"Sophia" would be reborn, again.

And not a moment too soon.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Axis refers to the Axis powers of World War II - this includes Japan, Italy and Germany. The Allied powers include Britain, France, and the United States. Team Axis refers to a "shadow government" pulling strings from the shadows to shape their own predestined future against the will of many - that is why the Kagekidan was created in order to stop them, and before them, the infamous Imperial Capital Defense Corps (BTW, I just made this up...I've been watching the X-Files one time too many....:P). The Imperial Capital Defense Corps are composed of the legendary Dr. Masao Kinogu, Dr. Judy Mizuhara, Fei Kon, Daichi Hiwatari, Gogoro Daitenji, and Asato Tsuzuki. Since the setting took place in post World War I Japan, it is quite understandable that there is ensuing confusion in matters of ideals, and communism was at its embryonic stages. As in any upright society, there are still quite a few radicals who believed in that still embryonic ideal, and these radicals (composed of extremely wealthy and influential men) form the backbone of Team Axis. 


	9. Seventh Moon

_Haru_:

Seventh Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: I am so genki today! ^o^ ^o^ ^o^ I guess it has something to do with Max's Pocky. Anyway, I'm back for another installment of this Bey Blade-Sakura Wars-Yami No Matsuei saga. I have introduced Team Axis, and YES they're all GIRLS! Who were those frigging knights, anyway?! OO;; Up in this installment, Yuri gets a briefing, Dr. Mizuhara goes reminiscing, Team Hoshi having dinner...and Lei gets a welcoming present! R/R PLEASE!

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Wars, and Asato Tsuzuki plus his 12 original Shikigami. They are owned by their respective authors. But the OC's, new Shikigami and terminologies are mine, though. SO NO SUING~~~!!! 

Judy

**Name:** Mizuhara, Judith Frances Seymour

**Country of Origin:** America

**Nationality:** American

**Birthplace:** Holly Acres, West Virginia

**Age:** 32

**Height:** 166 cm

**Weight: **51 kg

**Blood Type:** O

**Birthday:** August 18

**Skills:** Fencing, Sigil Tech, Aurora Cross

**PRN:** 0010 - 000 - 002

**EP:** 548

**APR:** 100%

**Test Results:** 100%

**Affiliation:** Imperial Capital Defense Corps

**Status:** Light Knight

"Ah! Yuri!" Daitenji-kacho smiled in a grandfatherly manner as he looked up from the papers he was perusing and saw Yuri come in after Kai. "It's really good to see you! Was your 'flight' well?"

"It went without a hitch, Daitenji-kacho. Thank you for worrying."

"Your Sigil would be arriving sometime tomorrow, once my people get past through customs. I think they've finally managed to convince them that we really can't afford to start the musical without another Dryad statue prop more." Daitenji-kacho stood up. "Well now that you're here...I take it that you've already met your other teammates?"

"Yes, sir." Yuri gestured to Kai, who looked none the more cheerful. "He was gracious enough to introduce me, somewhat."

"That's Kai Hiwatari for you." Daitenji-kacho nodded. "OK then, now the introductions are over, I guess we have to start." He clears his throat. "You DO know why you were sent here, Yuri?"

"Well...I heard the Kagekidan was one thespian short, so here I am," Yuri said with a small smile.

Kai went and closed the door before others could hear them.

"Well, there's that...and the fact that our rival company is on the move again." Daitenji-kacho nodded again. "The last 4 years have been quite uneventful and one-sided somewhat, and they've been stealing the show on the European front. But there is no need to worry; our company in Germany is doing everything it can in order to stop the rise of those fiends. So...the stage is quiet for now, and we're still missing Oberon, and the Emperor is quite delighted with the way things are going here in the Imperial Opera House." He looks over at Yuri. "Well then?" 

"It must be, or else you wouldn't have to recruit all those other thespians for nothing. I understand the Emperor is going to watch." Yuri nodded, his expression going serious. "As for other matters...the Russian company had been down and out these past couple of months, now those dogs are out a-sniffing."

"And yes, they've gone to Germany before they could actually pounce on them." Daitenji-kacho clasped his hands on top of his desk. "As for our own battlefront...we've been preparing for the worst these last 4 years, and we say we're ready. They're ready to strike again...I could sense it. All the props and costumes are in place, and we only need an affirmation from the general manager before we could go on ahead. Kai Hiwatari is the one in charge of all the productions over here, and I am just here to guide you all. Any questions, please feel free to ask him."

"I understand." 

There was a knock on the door, and the 3 of them turned to look. It was Asako. "Daitenji-kacho, everything's all set, and dinner's ready."

"Yes, thank you, Suzuhara-kun." Daitenji-kacho grinned. "Well then. Shall we eat?"

Dr. Judy Mizuhara was looking through the thick sheaf of papers inside the small brown folder she was holding when there was a knock on her office door.

"Come in."

The door opens, and her secretary poked her head in. "Ministry of Defense on line 3, ma'am."

"Yes, thanks, Yuuzaki-san." Dr. Mizuhara grabbed the unwieldy looking phone on her astonishingly clear desk, punched the blinking red light, then put the receiver to her ear. "Mizuhara."

Dr. Mizuhara listened, her lips pursed tightly, then she gave a curt little nod. "Yes, I understand. I had them delivered..."

She paused again, and now a frown was forming on her lips. "Yes. YES. I'll get to it right away. Alright. Good day."

Dr. Mizuhara put the phone down, shaking her head in disbelief. "Mass production...they must be mad! These are not toys...what the hell are they thinking OF anyway?! They were ballistic during 'THAT' incident 4 years ago, and now they want MASS PRODUCTION?! I thought they said they don't want anything to do with IT...what on EARTH is Hiwatari saying to THEM anyway?!"

She sighed, then held her hand to her head, her fingers trying to smooth over the headache that was starting to ache dully after that telephone call. She hasn't enough decent sleep these last few weeks, the problems concerning Team Axis were on the rise again, and since she was in charge of the Imperial Capital Defense intelligence network, she was required to go through those hellish nights wherein one fatal mistake could lead to the loss of thousands of lives. She didn't want another Armageddon to happen again...but the way those idiots populating the Ministry of Defense are behaving, she was sure they're heading towards that direction, if she doesn't act fast. She has to have a chat with Daitenji.

Dr. Mizuhara pushed her glasses up her nose, then looked over at the picture frames which stood near the edge of her table. Black and white photographs of Max with his pet Akita, Marley; her husband out fishing somewhere down Okinawa; Max with his Sigil playset; Max wearing his Kagekidan graduation uniform a year ago. She reached out to touch that picture frame, lovingly tracing Max's face with a finger.

***_Max..._***

"..." Dr. Mizuhara smiled a bit. Yes. That was her private little name, all her own.

Growing up in Western Virginia as a little girl was hard. Yes, she had rolling fields to play on or trot on with her horse, Shelby; apples and oranges and lemons and pears and peaches all for her picking during fruit season; cousins to play chase with...and they were never out of love and warmth. Meredith Seymour raised her with all the tender love and warmth a mother could possibly give, and Judith Frances Seymour, as she was known then, couldn't have asked for more; blessed and contented she was in her mother's arms, whenever her mother would tell her bedtime stories or made her chocolate cake which she was never able to replicate for all its moistness and creamy consistency. 

Her mother named her after her favorite aunts, who were liberal minded and went to exotic places she only heard of as tall tales from their Church ministry missionaries: India, Egypt, China, Siam. She would sit there, mystified at all the peoples they've encountered and their strange customs; a far cry from their simple life at their rolling Holly Acres farm. She wanted to be able to go to those places someday, and she'll tell Maximillian all about it when she comes home.

Maximillian Christopher was the son of their cook in Holly Acres, and they were best friends. Her father, Abraham Seymour, didn't approve of it, while Meredith let her have her own way in choosing her own friends. He wanted to become a doctor, and he was so intelligent and clever it was him who inspired Judith to become what she was today. They shared secrets and problems and worries that 8 year-olds usually have, and he was the one who listened to all her stories outside Holly Acres whenever her mother and her go visiting other relatives in Oregon. He was the one who christened her Judy, and she was the one who christened him Max.

Unfortunately, Maximillian died of leukemia before he could even become a doctor. He was only 10.

It was just the start of many mishaps that would eternally scar her forever. Her older brother Gregory died in a freak train mishap on his way home for the holidays back from West Point a year later. Meredith, receiving a telegram that her Aunt Frances was ill in India, went and was to contract the malaria that eventually killed her aunt that year she went to India and her in 1900. Her father forbade her to go to Japan where her mother's Aunt Judith was stationed as a nurse in the foreign settlement in Nagasaki, for fear of those "peasants" might corrupt the innocence and the "civilized ways" of his daughter, as she was the only family she had left, the year after. But she was never to be dissuaded, and so, her father grudgingly allowed her to come to Japan, this strange land which she had no idea would permanently become her home and where she would meet her husband.

She met Tetsuji Mizuhara during one of those errands her Great Aunt Judith sent her to do. His father owned the Western goods shop located up front the foreign settlement, and Yuuji Mizuhara was among few of the Japanese she knew who commanded perfect English, having been educated by some Christian missionaries since he was 6 years old, and had a chance to study in England before pests and fires ruined their rice fields in the provinces and he had to go back home to help with the family business. His Western goods shop was the largest and most complete in terms of inventory unlike other shops, and to 14 year-old Judith, it was like home away from home. His youngest son Tetsuji worked for the conscript army as a Captain; at age 19, he was one of the youngest to have ever attained that status in so short a time. 

The first time she met Tetsuji, she thought he looked like a toy bear. They saw each other quite often, every time Judith comes this way after school (she was going to that sort of finishing school her Great Aunt had recommended, after her father "unknowingly" cut off her monthly allowance). She didn't see him again after she was accepted into the Imperial Capital Defense Corps and was studying at the same time at Daitenji's expense (she was like a granddaughter to him) as a fledgling Sigil Tech at the age of 16. That time around, her feelings sparked up towards the gentle young man, who unknowingly had been in love with her the day she first met him, and they got married 2 years after. Max was born to them a year after. 

Tetsuji is still working for the Imperial Conscript Army up to now, where he had now risen to a general, the youngest ever to attain that status. Their son Max is a cadet at the elite Kagekidan, a superb tactician and weapons specialist. He was the best of both worlds; inheriting his mother's brains and gift for brilliant tactics and understanding weaponry and his father's kind and gentle personality with a lavish dose of hyperactivity, traits which endeared Tetsuji to her all those years ago. 

Would it all be gone for nothing?

A fierce determination sprung up in Dr. Mizuhara's breast as she firmly shook her head and reached out for the phone.

She had to tell Daitenji.

"Alright, who's for the STEAK~~~~?!" SD Takao was licking his lips in satisfaction as one of the maids set before him his own platter of well-done steak with creamy herbed mashed potatoes served with a dollop of rich gravy on top, along with buttered vegetables on the side and generous serving of wild spiced rice. "WOW~~~!!! Some TIMES I'm really glad you're half-American Max, or else we'd be stuck eating all those grilled fish for the rest of our lives."

"But fish is good for the body, Takao-senpai," Kenichiro told him as he regarded his cousin with an almost scandalized look. "I don't think Aunt Tsutsuji would even get to enter this dining hall as soon as she sniffs all this fat and butter and grease."

"I don't CARE! I mean, it's real nice to eat something DIFFERENT for a change," Takao answered. He looks over at the cook, who was patiently awaiting for their approval. "This looks REAL good! So, we're to eat Chinese cuisine tomorrow?"

"Absolutely, Master Takao."

Lei was staring at the steak in front of him when Max blinked at him. "Eh Lei, anything wrong? I could ask the cook to prepare something more substantial for you..."

"No, it's fine. It's best I get accustomed." Lei picked up his knife and fork and started cutting up the steak.

"We're having Chinese cuisine tomorrow," Takao told him over mouthfuls of steak and rice. "Then Russian cuisine, then back to Japanese again. Daitenji-kacho has this idea for a different cuisine everyday fosters brotherhood among us cadets from different countries and makes us stronger. I say it's really GREAT."

"Knowing you Kinogu, you would EAT anything as long as it stays STILL in one place for a VERY long time," Kai muttered from a seat across Takao's. "I think that's why you agreed to the Kagekidan in the first place."

"Oh, shut up, Kai," Takao growled.

Kenichiro had been cutting up his steak as precisely as any surgeon did on the operating table, while Yuri did the steak as if he had eaten steak all his life and sure acted like one, his fingers going through the motions as if they were all automatically programmed to do. Kai noted this with particular interest.

After the steak dinner, they had some dessert. Max offered to whip up some concoctions for the newcomers once the ice cream flavors and all the toppings and garnishing and what-nots were put on the table before them, after the maids cleared out their plates. Takao instantly put together a towering creation made of dark chocolate and creamy vanilla ice-cream loaded with lots of nuts and dribbled with strawberry sauce and chocolate syrup and several candied maraschino cherries. 

"This is my Takao Deluxe," Takao told Lei as he put bite-size pieces of tiny marshmallows shaped into Sigils about the 6 scoop ice cream behemoth and sprinkled it with more bright candy. "Kai's grandfather has perfected those chillers that ensure an even cold temperature throughout the contraption, courtesy of their research and development team of megalocosmic proportions. It's where we keep those meats and dessert items fresh. We have chillers reserved for each purpose. I really hate to say this, but without Kai, I guess I wouldn't be enjoying this kind of dessert straight from the States."

"You've imported this dessert from the States?" Lei asked, his eyes wide.

"Well, yes, but once the cook should get the hang of making this kind of dessert, then I guess we'll be making our own. I know, it's quite a gross mismanagement of war funds, but trust Kai's grandfather to give only the best what the Hiwatari Heavy Industries has to offer. He believes in the Kagekidan, and he gives his all-out support for the cause, even if there are deaf ears up in the Ministry of Defense who wouldn't even give a damn about what we're really headed toward to. He believes in the value of all work and no play makes Kai a dumb boy all DAY."

Kai took a dainty bite of the slice of triple chocolate cake on his gold trimmed saucer by means of a dessert fork. "I think it's all work and no play makes Takao an irritable childish PRAT all DAY."

"I am NOT a childish PRAT!" Takao fumed, a pulsing gargantuan twitch on his forehead as he turned into an SD fire breathing ogre, his eyes devilish little slits.

"Yes you ARE," SD Kai said, still unconcernedly chewing on the bit of cake he put inside his mouth, his mouth closed as was proper. 

"Am NOT!" SD ogre Takao yelled. 

Lei looked positively alarmed, then looked over at Max, who was concentrating on pouring peanut butter in nice swirls about the peanut brittle ice cream by means of a silver gravy boat filled with the garnishing. "Are they really always like this?" he asked in a panicky voice.

"Yep, they always have a go at each other ever since they first met," Max told him as he put down the gravy boat and prodded a peanut butter swirl to drape itself more artistically about a Sigil marshmallow by means of a spoon. "I thought a year would suffice to make them stop throttling each others' throats, but I guess I was wrong."

"You got into Kagekidan last year?" Lei asked him.

"Oh, yes. We all practically started at the same time. The Sigils came early this year, and prior to that, we've only been doing test drives in the War Room for practice. Nothing beats the real thing, though. I tell you, once you get into that cockpit, you have absolutely no idea when all hell would be breaking loose." Max nodded. "There were a couple of Axis spies who infiltrated the Hiwatari Heavy Industries Sigil Underground Laboratories 2 weeks ago, and that's when Kai learned that he could Rave. Daitenji-kacho got pretty shaken after that, and said that he wouldn't be too surprised if that was an inside job. The Imperial Capital Defense isn't exactly having a very rosy relationship with the Ministry of Defense right now, but a former Imperial Capital Defense Corps at its helm...I guess you never know." 

"Gee..." Lei bit his lip. "I heard about the attack on Hiwatari Heavy Industries...Dr. Mizuhara was really mad."

"I know. It's really hard for Mom, she's in charge of the training and learning facilities of the entire Imperial Capital Defense in its satellite headquarters at Kyouto, not to mention, the intelligence gathering, and she always has the Ministry of Defense operatives breathing down her neck. If we lose Hiwatari's backing, then we'll be left utterly defenseless once those Axis fiends come knocking on our door. But...Mr. Souichiro Hiwatari isn't to be disheartened by that attack...it only deepened his resolve to help us even more. Which is a really good thing. Now, he's got his scientists down into researching para-psyche engines to improve the Sigils' chi output. We're talking about instantaneous Raves here, Lei. I don't think those Axis spies would be too eager to pounce on us ever again." Max grinned. "I've decided to name this Driger the Frosty Tiger. Well? What do you think?" 

Lei blinked. A somewhat cute cat made of vanilla ice cream was grinning at him, with green stripes and gold trimmings, and marshmallow spheres, dribbled all over with white chocolate shavings, crushed lime flavored candy sprinkles, and creamy white chocolate sauce. There were tiny Driger Sigil marshmallows scattered below, along with equally tiny marshmallow glaives and marshmallow wushu swords. 

"Sorry if it turned out into some sort of a tabby cat," Max apologized. He peered at his handiwork closely. "Hmm, I wouldn't be surprised if Kai calls this Driger the Grinning Cheshire Cat, but he had been quiet ever since I whipped him up a Dranzer Flaming Strawberry Delight. It looked like a cross between a turkey and a chicken, and it had Takao crack up weeks on end. Suffice it to say, he took it all out on the pink flamingos, and I've been hiding what I had saved from his infernal rage ever since." 

"It looks nice." Lei smiled at him. "Thanks, Max."

"And here's yours, Yuri." Max pushed him a concoction made of many brilliant slivers of frosted ice blue candy stuck on what looked like a vanilla puppy, and several swirly looking ice blue and white round marshmallows, blueberry sauce, and tiny Wolfborg Sigil marshmallows were scattered below. "Forgive me if this looks like a porcupine with a bad hair day, or a puppy skewered by evil glass shards."

"It's fine," Yuri said with interest. He looks at Max in amazement. "Are you SURE you're not going into Hotel and Restaurant Management or anything if this war would EVER end?"

"Nope, handling Sigils are just FINE." Max turned SD, as he dipped his spoon into his own peanut butter concoction. "Let's EAT!"

Lei got into his own room by the end of the hallway right across Max's, and right beside Yuri's. The 4 of them bid goodnight to each other; Daitenji-kacho had asked Kai and Takao to stay behind regarding some matters. Kenichiro told him that the two of them were on patrol duty that night at the Hiwatari Heavy Industries compound, a fact that wasn't agreeable to either one of them. He further told him that they take turns in watching the compound ever since the Axis infiltration, what more now that they are developing those para-psyche engines.

"-Nirvana Obsolete-," Max said, nodding. "Don't ask me why it's called THAT, but I guess whoever named it chose that name because it kinda sounded awesome. Anyway, see you guys tomorrow. Goodnight!"

Lei entered his room, and closed and locked it behind him. He switched on the light. The steam powered generators of this entire facility were really remarkable; even if the science of transporting electricity was still at its quite infantile stages here in Japan, they all have running water powered by steam generator water pumps, electric lights all around, Kenichiro was even telling him that Hiwatari Heavy Industries was planning to put up a central steam powered heater in case winters become extremely harsh in mild weathered Tokyo, even improvement of the existing hangar facility where their Sigils were kept, by means of adding more steam powered computers, a 24 hour Sigil maintenance dugout, and installation of pressure alarms. And this entire facility looks like a completely harmless Imperial Opera House, to boot. Now who could say they're really soldiers of a top secret military facility in Imperial Japan? 

All his things were there, and Lei was surprised to see a box on top of his bed. He then sat down on his bed and opened it.

Inside was a faded red bandanna on which was embroidered the _yin_/_yang_ symbol.

_Your father had left me this. He wishes for you to have it. Fei had always said that this was his lucky charm._

"..." Lei smiled.

***_Yes, Father. Thank you. I'll keep this always._***

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: ** Now the plot THICKENS! Darn, wonder what's going to happen to both Kai and Takao?! Let's just pray they won't chase each other around the Hiwatari Heavy Industries compound. But then again, these two are like fire and ice. We all shouldn't get our hopes way up. ^^;; Now, time for some ACTING LESSONS~~~!!! ^o^ 


	10. Eighth Moon

_Haru_:

Eighth Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: **A Team Axis attack at the middle of the night. WHOOIEEEEE~~~~!!! **GO, DRAGOON/DRANZER~~~~!!! **Who's that mysterious girl that pops out of nowhere, riding a -Relic-?!Andacting lessons up in full throttle! Featuring the cast of Bey Blade in Shakespeare's _A Midsummer Night's Dream_! This chappie is dedicated to Lei X Kai fans out there, as they act Queen Titania and King Oberon, respectively. BTW, do male theatric thespians wear leotards and LEG WARMERS....?! OO;; Oh, this Lei X Kai pairing **would only be for the duration of this chappie and succeeding others, for the whole run of the play arc**. **THIS IS NOT YAOI~~~!!!** Costumes provided by Max. Is he Tomoyo Daidouji's ancestor?! Only time would tell. **LIGHTS, CURTAINS...ACT **(look for it in the succeeding chappies)**~~~!!!**

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, and Asato Tsuzuki + his 12 original Shikigami. They belong to their respective authors. The OC's, some terminologies, and factions-bent-on-world-domination are mine, though. **So don't SUE ME~~~!!!**

There was a loud hiss as steam was let off from one of the pressure valves, and Takao nodded. "This side, clear."

"This side, clear." Kai swept his red brown gaze over at the dimly-lighted portion of the Hiwatari Heavy Industries compound a few feet away. "No suspicious movements, whatsoever."

"Roger that." Takao sighed. "That's good to hear."

"..." Kai closed his eyes. "We're not out of the woods YET, Kinogu. Geez. Why on EARTH did Daitenji-kacho allow a slack-off like YOU get inside the Kagekidan, ANYWAY?"

Dragoon turned SD, waving his arms over at the still unperturbed Dranzer, several gargantuan twitches on top of its head. "What was THAT supposed to MEAN, HIWATARI~~~?! I'm NOT a SLACK-OFF~~~!!! I got into the Kagekidan by means of my skills and innate INTELLECT~~~!!!"

"Intellect? I thought it was NIL," Kai replied. Dranzer had its arms crossed over its chest.

Takao turned into a burning SD ogre, his eyes devilish little slits, gazillions of pulsing twitches on top of his head. "**HI-WA-TA-RI~~~!!!** That's IT you little stuck-up SNOB I'm going to GET you REAL GOOD~~~!!!"

SD Dranzer sighed, a small white cloud escaping from its mouth. "I thought you've been doing that for the whole year ALREADY? That's funny, I STILL haven't been feeling so threatened, lately."

"**GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.......**"

"And HEY, why are you so ANGRY? I was just merely telling the TRUTH. Don't even TELL me that's not TRUE. You're just about the laziest, most USELESS, most FREELOADING Sigil pilot I've EVER met."

SD Dragoon started waving its arms over its head in a very furious manner, its several gargantuan twitches multiplying into a gazillion tiny ones throbbing about its head. "That's IT I've HAD IT HIWATARI you are SO DEAD~~~!!!"

SD Dranzer shrugged. "Do whatever you like, Kinogu. I'm not stopping YOU."

SD Dragoon got out its Tenryuuga _katana_ from the very ornate scabbard behind its back, its blade glowing a bright blue from Takao's chi reaction from the -Nirvana- Crystals. SD ogre Takao's nostrils were blowing with steam. "I'm going to slice you up into _sashimi_ so FINE Kenichiro's going to have a VERY HARD TIME distinguishing SIGIL GUARD from SINEW~~~!!!" 

"WhatEVER."

"TASTE MY FEARSOME CHOP OF DEATH~~~!!! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH~~~"

"**BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM~~~~~~~!!!!**" 

There was a sudden explosion that almost knocked Dragoon off its feet, if it weren't for Dranzer's quick thinking and held it up. Takao blinked. "What...what was THAT..."

Kai's red brown eyes narrowed.

**"BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM~~~~!!!"**

The second explosion sent them reeling back. Close up view of Kai's slanted red brown eyes, narrowed even further. "Damn it, they really don't know when to QUIT!" Dranzer got its pair of Hou'ouen _katana_, its blades a furious glaring red. "Kinogu, drop the antics and cover ME!"

"Roger THAT!" Takao said, his Tenryuuga glowing a bright blue again, the blue crystal emitting a beam that shot straight up to the heavens.

Dragoon held its _katana_ aloft. A glowing blue -Wind Sigil- appeared beneath Dragoon, rotating quite slowly. Furious winds started about the bright blue glow of the _katana_ blade.

Takao's eyes narrowed.

"**_TATSUMAKIGIRIKEN~~~!!!_**"

A furious tornado started up about Dragoon, scattering debris about. It then made a diagonal swipe, unleashing the tornado towards the dark part of the Hiwatari Heavy Industries' front side, with a force strong enough to knock several buildings out of the way.

"**-SHINING GUARD-**~~~!!!"

There was a flurry of several glowing white feathers, and a sudden bright shaft of white light that started beneath them. The feathers served as a very powerful shield that met Takao's attack head-on and dissipated it to nothingness.

"~~~!!!" Half-shot of Takao's very surprised face. "_Nanda_..._**NANDATTE**_~~~?!"

The light abated, and Takao looked up. A cream colored mech greeted his gaze, slim and delicately proportioned like that of a built of a young woman's. There were 3 pairs of wings behind its back, looking like a seraphim's wings, and feathers floated gently about it, glowing softly with their own light.

"..." Takao's deep blue eyes widened. "A...-Relic-...?"

There was a sudden burst of flames, and Dranzer appears right above the strange mech, its eyes glowing red. Kai gritted his teeth. "If you think you could scare us with THAT cheap magic trick, then you've got another thing coming, you anemic TIN CAN~~~!!!" Flames burst about his twin Hou'ouen.

"**_SOUENSEN~~~!!!_**" 

Dranzer makes a twin swiping motion of its _katana_ blades, sending furious twisting columns of flame towards the enemy.

"..." The cream mech just looked up. 

"Gabriel...-Blue Cross-..." a soft female voice called out.

The feathers suddenly started swirling about it, turning into a furious swell of swirling water that closed above the mech and shielded it against Dranzer's attack. It then shot straight towards Dranzer like an avenging spear, and there was nothing Kai could do but try shield himself with his arms at the suddenness of this shield-attack.

Dranzer gets thrown off, the fiery red mech slamming itself way hard onto a derelict building some 20 feet away, Kai's eyes squeezed shut from the pain.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH~~~!!!"

"KAI~~~!!!" Takao yells.

Sirens were heard in the distance, and Takao looked over his shoulder instinctively. The Imperial Capital Defense Mobile Unit is on its way to help them...but he can't risk having them caught in the crossfire, now the mysterious enemy in question threw his leader out of whack. He has to protect them. 

Dragoon gripped its _katana_, attack stance. Takao glared at his opponent. "No matter what happens, I will protect the good people of the imperial capital...and I WON'T lose! You HEAR me?"

"..." The delicate-looking mech just turned to look at him (it has EYES?! OO;;), the water falling over it in a spray and reverting back to glowing feathers once again. Takao allowed himself to give a small self-satisfied smirk. "Heh. You think I'm scared of you?! That'll be just like a dream. I NEVER run away from a FIGHT~~~!!!"

"As I do too." Dranzer slowly got up from the rubble, steam coming out of the pressure valves somewhere above its fluted shoulder guards. Kai glared at his opponent, his hair covering half of his face, his red brown eye that was peeking out very narrowed (translation: ** VERY, VERY HANDSOME~~~!!!** *o* *o* *o*). He then gave a small smile. "Hmph. What was that?! Surely you Axis brats could do better than THAT. Come on. You want a piece of us that bad, then go get us yourself. Or are you just chicken?"

"..." The cream colored mech just stayed still.

Dranzer slowly walked over to where Dragoon was, and Dragoon turned to look at it. 

"Eh Kai, up for some rhythmic gymnastics?" Takao asked him.

"I was just waiting for you to say that, Takao." Kai looked over at their opponent. "Do you think we could make it in about 10 seconds?"

"If by some miracle I Rave, we'll do it half of that." Takao grinned. "Too bad Max isn't around so you can flame more flamingos."

"Heh. I'll do it later." Kai nodded. "OK. On the count of 3."

"1..." Dragoon gripped its _katana_ tighter.

"2..." Dranzer got his twin _katana_.

Both Takao and Kai's eyes narrowed at once. 

"3~~~!!!"

They shifted their -Chi Regulator- gears to maximum at the same time, and the 2 Sigils quickly struck from the opposite sides like masterful _samurai_, true to the attacking styles of the famous clans they were from. Their swords glinted a very furious shade of bright blue and fiery red, respectively.

"**KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH~~~!!!**" 

There was another explosion, and a fiery tornado went up the sky, from which several beams of blue and red light issued forth, scattering about the dark battlefield. The reinforcements stopped a few meters short of the ring of unbelievably strong auric chi that erupted 500 meters all about them, sending electronic transmissions out of whack for a 5 km radius around the battlefield. 

"Chi level too strong," Kyousuke Harada said, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the elemental tempest that was raging before him. "We can't risk getting too near; that psychic field would literally blow all of us up into smithereens..." 

"Sir, if this keeps up, the Sigil output would rapidly drain due to this very strong upsurge of auric energy," Satoshi Saionji said, looking up from the steam-powered monitoring computer that was installed in one of the mobile monitoring units. "Steam pressure rapidly decreasing at a rate of 0.05% per second...at this rate, the -Nirvana- Crystals would get liquefied...!" 

"We can't do anything about that now," Harada said, his blue eyes narrowing even further. "Damn it."

"Dragoon's -Chi Regulator- output reaching Rave point!" Daisaku Ueno said, perspiration erupting on his forehead.

"**_NANDA~~~?!_**" Harada's eyes went wide. "What is Kinogu THINKING~~~?!"

He went over to the communications port, grabbing the headphones from one of the other Mobile Unit personnel manning the direct line to the Kagekidan then quickly turned the knob to the appropriate frequency. "KINOGU~~~!!! Can you read me?! KINOGU~~~!!! What the hell do you think you're DOING?! **KINOGU~~~!!!**"

The radio issued nothing but static.

"Shit..."

"Daitenji-kacho! Dragoon's attempting Rave! Should we cut off Phaser Limit?!" Taro Sendou spoke into the butterfly microphone (OO;; I'm just making this up) tersely.

"..." There were a few moments of silence. "He's gone beyond the limit. All we could do now is just pray he comes back from that alive."

"S...sir..."

"**CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH~~~**"

"EEEEEYYYYYYYAAAAAAHHHHH~~~~!!!"

"~~~!!!" Harada ran to the door of the Mobile Unit van then saw several of his other men running around in the inferno, fire burning through their clothes from the falling burning debris that came from a building beside them. Several other soldiers tried putting out the fire by means of their steam generator powered water pumps and hoses, but it was no use. There was another explosion, and debris flew up into the air before pelting other soldiers down below, like some horrible travesty of a meteor shower.

"EEEEYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~~~~~~!!!" 

Meanwhile...

"Daitenji-kacho!"

"..." Daitenji-kacho looked over his shoulder in the control room of the Kagekidan. Max, Yuri, Kenichiro, and Lei were all standing on the raised platform behind him, looking over at him with very tense expressions on their faces. Max was clenching his fists. "Daitenji-kacho...if that maelstrom continues, it'll burn the imperial capital to the ground...!!!" the blond young boy said.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~~~~!!!"

"Daitenji-KACHO~~~!!!"

"Very well." Daitenji-kacho turned to look at them, his deep brown eyes narrowed.

"Mizuhara!"

Max's bright blue eyes narrowed.

"Kon!"

Lei blinked.

"Hurry to the Hiwatari Heavy Industries compound and curb that catastrophe before it engulfs the entire imperial capital in flames. Hasami!"

"Y-yes, Daitenji-kacho..."

"I need you to help them in outfitting their Sigils with the -Nirvana Obsolete-."

"!" Yuri's eyes went wide. "But Daitenji-kacho..."

"There's no other way. Those Sigils' -Nirvana- Crystals would liquefy and still the enemy would keep on going. We have to stop the enemy before it reaches the imperial palace." Daitenji-kacho looked over at Kenichiro. "I trust you on this, Hasami." 

"Y-yes, Daitenji-kacho~~~!!!"

"Good." Daitenji-kacho looked over at Yuri. "Ivanov, come with me."

Takao gritted his teeth as another psychic blow was delivered to Dragoon, sending him crashing through buildings a few feet away. The sirens were all blaring from all around them, and the people of the imperial capital were rushed to the underground shelter, a good 10 km away from the battlefield (the compound's located 10 km away from any residential area). The night was filled with terrified screams and crying children, as the inferno raged on about the 3 fighting mechs.

Takao coughed, and blood splattered on the 6 grip throttle panel before him. He squeezed his eyes shut. "Ouch...darn it..." he gasped.

"Kinogu! Are you alright?" Kai asked him, Dranzer standing in front of Dragoon, in an effort to protect Takao from the avenging Relic.

"I'm fine...although when I try...ouch...to move...splinters seem to be piercing....**OUCH~~~!!!**...my chest..." Takao gasped.

"Lie easy for now, Kinogu, that was quite a beating you took when you did Rave," Kai told him. "You haven't even qualified for a preliminary training program as permitted by Dr. Mizuhara..." 

"HEY~~~!!! I took off almost ALL of that stupid Relic's energy blasts and that's ALL you have to SAY~~~?!" Takao yelled, twitches growing all over his head, until he doubled over and yelped again.

"**OUCH~~~!!!**"

"Correction. You took ALL of the Relic's psychic blasts." Dranzer readied to strike with his Hou'ouen again. "How incredibly stupid was THAT~~~?! Whatever. Just stay put like a good little boy you are before you get yourself into MORE trouble. _Wakarimashita ka_...?"

"_**HAI**, wakarimashita._" Takao just turned murderous SD ogre. "I'll get you for THIS someday, Hiwatari."

"Not in another 1,000 years." Kai glared at the Relic, as Dranzer took another attack stance, reminiscent of that legendary swordsman with an eye patch on his left eye (or was it RIGHT?! OO;; I stand corrected here!). "Well then. I have to send you off to hell whence you came. Any last words?" 

"..." The glowing feathers just kept on swirling about it (^^;;).

"Heh. Are you mute or just plain STUPID~~~?! Alright, anemic tin can, don't say I didn't warn you." Kai's eyes narrowed. "_Moeru~~~!!!_ **_REIENKEN_**~~~!!!" 

A ring of flame blazed up about Dranzer, along with a glowing red -Fire Sigil- slowly rotating beneath it. It then joined the Hou'ouen together, and there was a brilliant flash of red light, as the flames increased about the sword then slowly died out, revealing a long sword (RIDICULOUSLY long sword) with an arched hilt reminiscent of unfurling phoenix wings. Several glowing, burning red feathers floated from the leaping tongues of the flames by means of the hot draft. 

Kai shifted his -Chi Regulator- gear to maximum again, then hurtled towards the cream-colored mech, flames going on about him, his _katana_ a blade of furiously burning flames. 

"**_HOU'OUSENKEN~~~!!!_**"

"~~~!!!" Takao was aghast. "**HIWATARI~~~!!!** What the HELL~~~"

Dranzer struck with his flaming brand, the cream colored mech setting up another psychic shield just in time before the _katana_ made contact. There was another glaring white light, from which issued several arrows of burning flame, scattering throughout the battlefield.

"I have to...protect the...mobile unit..." Takao gasped. Dragoon gripped his Tenryuuga, from which a glowing blue wind issued forth.

"**_AOI KAZE~~~!!!_**"

There was a furious wind that issued forth from his sword, and it managed to repel some of the fire bolts from coming into the innocent civilians' contact. But there were some that escaped, and Takao shook his head violently as some of the fire bolts shot out towards the medic unit.

"~~~!!!" Takao's eyes became wide and unseeing. "**NOOOOOO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!**" 

But before it made contact...

"**_AQUA HOLTZ~~~!!!_**"

There was a flash of green light, and water splashed over from nowhere, as if a great phantom tsunami had come in straight from Tokyo Bay itself. It repelled all the fire bolts that came towards the medic unit's way, and all were saved.

"!!!" Takao was very happy to see who it was. "MAX~~~!!!"

"And Lei," Max said, grinning. Draciel went towards the fallen Dragoon, and it held out a hand. "Can you stand up?"

"Yeah, I think so..." Takao replied. Dragoon grabbed Draciel's hand and got up with rather arthritic difficulty. "My ribs are shot, though...I can't even breathe properly. Every time I do, splinters seem to be bent on choking me to death..." 

"Let's hope that won't happen." Max looked over at where the battle was still raging on. "So how many operatives?"

"Could you even BELIEVE there's only ONE operative?!" Takao shook his head. "I've never seen anything like that Relic before...the way it moves, and attacks..."

"...must be a new Relic..." Max said. He shook his head. "Darn it, if only Kenichiro were here...his -Sensor- would be a REAL great help..."

"I'll go help Kai," Lei said, coming up behind Max and Takao. "Those fire bolts would still come shooting towards THIS way, and besides, Max would need to secure the area." 

"Spoken like a true master of a battlefield," Max said proudly. "I just knew burning those flamingos should come in handy someday." 

"HEY! Don't come back in pieces, Lei!" Takao called after him as he made his way towards Kai.

"Right. I have no intention in planning to." Lei nodded. "Well then, Driger, we have to go help Dranzer. **_IKUZO~~~!!!_**"

There was a burst of white light from behind Driger's chi-powered jet pack, and off it shot towards the still raging maelstrom.

Kai was still attacking and defending liberally as their heated fight would allow, and as he could see, the pilot of the Relic in question was very good as to even dodge his attacks in Rave mode. But his quick eye saw that the strain was getting to the pilot, because the psychic bolts the pilot was tossing time and again towards Takao a while ago was becoming quite weaker as their fight wore on.

***_I'll get you, you fiend, even if it KILLS me,_*** Kai thought angrily. Several hissing bursts of flame and pure aetheric-psychic energy formed whenever the 2 mechs clashed, and the heat was getting too intense even in the well-protected cockpit of the Sigil. It was made to withstand temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees, but the fight exactly wasn't what the designers at the Hiwatari Heavy Industries had predicted: for some strange reason, the Relic's psychic attacks were making Kai's innate fire aether abilities go out of whack and in turn was taking its toll on him.

***_Damn it, won't the pilot even QUIT~~~?!_*** Kai then felt the first signs of his Rave Syndrome, as Max liked to call it (it was actually called the Barrier Syndrome, and the symptoms were all clear indications of reactions to the Kyrieans Effect; the pain it caused to the mind and body were really catastrophic); and now, he was beginning to feel the first waves of fear. But Kai Hiwatari was a Sigil pilot with no fear; he wasn't the Captain of the entire Sigil Squadron of the Kagekidan for nothing. He was going to nail this Axis operative, and he wasn't going to give UP that easily. 

Panting, gasping, Kai gave all of his strength at every swing he took, and was heartened when he saw that the cream colored mech was buckling under the pressure, and it took a shaky step backward from the last swing he gave. The Kagekidan Captain pressed on. "You think you could get away from your treachery, you Axis devil?! You think you could get away from those many innocent lives you have so cruelly taken AWAY~~~?! Did you honestly THINK destroying the imperial capital 4 years ago would totally make us lose heart in protecting what is rightfully OURS~~~?!" Kai's pupils dilated (O.O WOWZA~~~!!!) and his lips were drawn back in a snarl. "**DO YOU THINK YOU COULD GET AWAY WITH THINKING THAT YOU ARE A GOD AND COULD DO ANYTHING YOU COULD PLEASE WITH US~~~?! You Axis devils are all the SAME~~~!!! YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALIVE~~~!!!**" 

The Reienken burned even more furiously, and Kai swiftly struck. But the pure psychic overload had just become too much for either of them, and everything erupted in a twisting, furious column of fire, and there was a scream that shattered the stillness.

And Kai knew no more, save for a bright white light that enveloped him.

Very soon, everything became deathly still. 

"..." Takao was deathly pale the morning after, several spirit orbs hovering above his head, as he clutched at his own script. "Never...never would I go out on another patrol with Kai EVER again. Remind me. Please DO remind me."

"Well, you did pretty well, Takao, and Kai was all praises for you," Max replied, grinning. "Suffice it to say, he was just ever so quiet at the hospital ward a while ago and I guess he's just too overwhelmed with shock that you actually did something worthy of getting noticed."

"It was a good thing you all got back safely, Max-senpai," Kenichiro said, his deep green eyes widening in awe. "Daitenji-kacho was really scary. I mean, he was pacing around the control room and everything, and...he was really worried about what was happening to you guys out there, and~~~"

"Well, at LEAST the imperial capital wasn't burned down, although it NEARLY happened," Yuri said, nodding as he looked his lines over sipping a cup of tea. "I think the entire Ministry of Defense is in an uproar, and now, the entire Imperial Capital Defense is under fire. They almost got to the 'secret weapons' we have stored in the Hiwatari Heavy Industries underground laboratories."

"Which leads to the next question." Takao looked over at Max. "Since when did Daitenji-kacho have prototype -Nirvana Obsolete- engines in HERE?! I thought it was STILL in development?"

"I guess that's what Daitenji-kacho wants the enemy to think," Max replied, nodding. "But Lei and I were surprised last night, too. We never really thought that we were to test drive the prototype. But everything went well, thank goodness. The engines were supposed to be outfitted as soon as the Axis siege starts again...I think it sort of started last night."

"So...meaning to say..."

"The -Nirvana Obsolete- engines were already in development even during the start of the WHOLE Kagekidan project 4 years ago," Kenichiro said as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "But it's still not perfected yet...there are still some tweaks here and there that need to be done..."

"And yet Titania rode high last night." Max was grinning. "Hey, I think Daitenji-kacho's so impressed by what happened last night as to give Lei one of the plum parts. But of course, I'm only kidding. Lei's really talented, as what Mom's telling me."

"Speaking of which, where is Dr. Mizuhara...?" Yuri asked.

"Looking over the patient in the hospital ward. I do hope they finish soon." Max blinked, then waved. "Hey! The MEN of the MOMENT! Hiya, Kai, Lei!"

"Shut up, Mizuhara, don't start," Kai growled. He sat on the seat beside Yuri.

"..." Lei was just quiet.

"Lei, Daitenji-kacho just sent you your FIRST major role-script," Yuri said, tossing the script to the still quiet Chinese young man. "You would be playing Queen Titania opposite Kai's King Oberon."

"Eh???" Takao's eyes were very wide. "But...but...that's EVIL~~~!!!"

"Evil WAS when Daitenji-kacho decided to let YOU join Kagekidan, Kinogu." Kai shuffled his script. "Well...shall we start...?"

"..." Daitenji-kacho was frowning. "Complete resistance to the Kyrieans Effect...?"

"More like SHE'S the living example of a perfect Kyrieans Effect." Dr. Mizuhara was shaking her head. "She could control those aether and chi waves at will...what on EARTH have they done to HER? Subjecting her to the Kyrieans Effect for such a very long time...it's a real miracle she's still alive..."

"In theory, if you are completely in synch with the Kyrieans Effect, you would be able to unleash a very powerful energy surge...and, the only other person who managed to do that is none other than Asato Tsuzuki himself."

"-Nirvana Cross-...?" Dr. Mizuhara sighed. "But he's gone completely catatonic, and there's no telling if he'll ever come back to the world of the living again, Daitenji-kacho. But how on earth could they have done such a thing..." 

"She's alive, but just barely." Daitenji-kacho's eyes narrowed. "Those chains that were binding her...those were not ordinary chains. They've been bound to her for as long as those fiends have known of her imminent coming. You've read about the legend of Christian Rosenkreuz?" 

"Yes." Dr. Mizuhara looked at him sharply. "Don't tell me..."

"300 years ago, he came into great renown as the semi-mythical founder of the Rosicrucian Society...their members were adepts at practicing magic, blending both Christian and hermetic principles. Anyway...there were also legends that tell of a different story. Supposedly, Rosenkreuz had a younger sister. It was said that he loved his younger sister very much, that when she died, he had her sealed, and never suffered anyone come close to her, for he thought that their mere presence would defile her, for he thought his younger sister so pure. But...his sister never really died, and as the legends say...she survives to this very day, sealed in the Tomb of Metatron. She was immortal, like her brother, but...for some strange reason, Rosenkreuz decided to die a mortal's death, for there were a lot of people who wanted to wrest their power from them for their own evil gains...suffice it to say, they waited 300 years and soon found the person they were looking for, after unsealing the Tomb of Metatron. With it, the secrets of both Relics and Sigils." 

"The Holy Grail of Eternal Life. Yes, of course. Everybody wants to live forever...who wouldn't...?" Dr. Mizuhara's bright blue eyes became sad. "It is her eternal night...and those chains that bound her are indicative of her inheritance and who she really is." 

"But I don't think Sophia Rosenkreuz would even want to be alive after 300 years. Not now. When she has suffered so much. Those Axis Knights would cut her up like the proverbial 'golden goose' that she is and realize too late that they are wrong."

They were silent. The only sound came from the new patient's faint breathing.

Dr. Mizuhara sighed again, and nodded. "I will see to the Relic. Those -Seraphim- weren't exactly friendly a while ago. I'll try persuading them once again."

"Do that. I'll talk to the boys later. I'm afraid this is just the beginning of their nightmares." Daitenji-kacho nodded. "Good day, Judy."

"Good day, Daitenji-kacho."

The door closed, and Daitenji-kacho looked at the patient once again. She was very pale, and a cold blue tinge was upon her lips, but she was alive: the only other thing that was very striking in this girl was that her hair shone like that of faded autumn, a very rich red brown color, that seemed to glow with its own dying embers; dying, but just.

"'Sophia'," Daitenji-kacho said softly.

"Sophia" had just come come alive into a nightmare all over again. 

Max was showing Lei his latest creation (that of a white silk dress thrown about a model's slim body and strewn with lots of hand-painted silk flowers and leaves with sprays of pearls and a crown of leaves, flowers and pearls in the hair, and beautiful crystals strewn about the dress and the hair like tiny glittering stars,; all done in wonderful watercolor) which Lei would wear as Queen Titania when they heard a lot of angry voices in the hallway. 

Yuri, Takao (who was still visibly wincing), and Kenichiro stopped hopping around in great leaps across the glass-walled room (like that of a dance studio....^^;;) and blinked. Kai, who was memorizing his own lines leaning against the double bars for stretching exercises (^^;; I don't know what they're called...they're the ones that ballerinas use for stretching exercises), frowned, and looked up, his expression wary. 

"I must say, sir, you CAN'T come barging IN~~~"

"Where's DAITENJI~~~?! Mizuhara?! I have to talk to them, they've gone too far~~~"

"PLEASE sir, you can't go that WAY~~~"

Takao blinked again. "Uh...hey...who's..."

But before he could say anything else, the double doors leading to the rehearsal studio banged open, and a man strode in, wearing Western-style clothes (American 2-piece gray silk suit and very luxurious fur cape-coat) and holding a walking stick made of the finest maple wood and a shiny gold knob at one end. He had a very angry look on his face.

Time stood still. At last, Kai shuffled his script again, straightened up, and stared at the newcomer with a fierce red brown gaze.

"Hello and well met, Father," he said rather pleasantly. "How has the day treated you so far...?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: A LOT of Japanese terms...pardon me if the translations are a little crooked.

**_TATSUMAKIGIRIKEN_** = Whirlwind-slice-sword = Slicing Whirlwind Sword

**_SOUENSEN_** = Twin-flame-flash = Twin Flame Flash

**_REIENKEN_** = Spirit/soul-flame-sword = Soul Flame Sword

**_HOU'OUSENKEN_** = Phoenix-flash-sword = Phoenix Flash Sword

**_AOI KAZE_** = Blue-wind = Blue Wind

_Moeru_ = BURN~~~!!!

_Ikuzo_ (^^;; well, sure SOUNDS like IT...) = Let's GO~~~!!!

_Wakarimashita ka?_ = Do you understand?

_Hai, wakarimashita._ = Yes, I do.

_Nandatte_ = What THE~~~?!

_Nanda_ = same as above

_Katana_ = Japanese sword

The battle scenes above are akin to some of the Super Robot Taisen sagas I've missed SO much doing on the PSX. It's like a homage to the almighty chibis~~~!!! **Hail, MAZINGER Z~~~!!!** ^o^ Christian Rosenkreuz is that semi-mythical founder of the Rosicrucian Society which was known to have adepts skilled in the use of magic blending Christian beliefs and hermetic principles (Amber K, _True Magick_). The Sophia legend is entirely mine (unless Rosenkreuz REALLY has a younger sister named Sophia, and I kind of run into it in serendipity or something....Oo;;). Metatron is the chief of the -Seraphim-, which, according to most angelic hierarchies, are the highest class of angels. I've kinda put some Iron Maiden Jeanne torture kind of thing in here, but her torture devices aren't thorns and she's not enclosed in that hideous looking tin can (sorry, Iron Maiden Jeanne fans). 


	11. Ninth Moon

_Haru_:

Ninth Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: How was that homage to the almighty chibis of the Super Robot Taisen Sagas?! ^~^ YAY! Anyway...Kai's dad goes visiting, and both father and son get to deal with somewhat "domestic" issues; the 3 former Imperial Capital Defense Corps members get to do some rather strained and very emotional reminiscing; the enigma that is "Sophia" and the -Light Relic- Edelweiss; Lei gets a letter from his twin sister Mao; and Yuri's Wolfborg, delivered via DHL express! Hmm. Are they planning to revive Asato Tsuzuki?! R/R PLEASE~~~!!!

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, and Asato Tsuzuki + his 12 original Shikigami; as they're owned by their respective authors. The OC's, some terminologies, and some factions-bent-on-world-domination are mine, though. So no SUING~~~!!!

Althaea

***these are taken from the top secret files collected by the Imperial Capital Defense by their operatives living in England 

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_______ 

**"Project Sophia"**

In Line with the Specifics of the

Rosicrucian Society

**Name:** Whitaker, Althaea Elisabeth Marguerite Sullivan

**Country of Origin:** England

**Nationality:** English

**Birthplace:** Alden House, Lancashire, England

**Age:** 14

**Height:** 150 cm

**Weight:** 41 kg

**Blood Type:** O

**Birthday:** March 3

**Skills:** Summoning Aetheria, Light Aetheria, Seraph Aetheria, Psychic Aetheria

**EP:** ???

**APR:** ???

**Affiliation:** Team Axis

**Status:** Aether Knight (Light)

**-Eden Absolute-:** 97.87%

**Eden Infinity Synch:** 100%

Edelweiss

**Pilot:** Althaea Elisabeth Marguerite Sullivan-Whitaker

**Height:** 14.2 m

**Base Weight:** 4.9 tons

**Equipped:** 5.2 tons

**Mahannon Crystal Reaction:** 100%

**Sub Aether Generator Torque:** 520

**Main Steam Generator Coefficient:** 3.4

**Kyrieans Barrier Life:** 10.33 hours

**Frame Durability:** 252

**Reaction Time:** 0.01

**Aether Induction:** 92

**Speed (Ground):** 312 km/h

**Speed (Air):** 902 km/h

**Weapon:** Psychic Aetheria, Seraphim Animum Light Phasers (SEALERS), Pulse Rods, double rods 

**Armor:** Base Malakh Armor 

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______

Project Sophia

Key to Eternal Life. It is not known if the person in question, though, holds the Holy Grail...most Grail experts point out it was in the possession of Joseph of Arimathea, if the Arthurian legends are to be believed in the location of the chalice which Christ had supposedly used during the Last Supper.

11/13 - the day is gloomy. Tomb location confirmed. Awaiting further instructions.

12/24 - unsealed the Gate of Gaea.

01/02 - unsealed the Gate of Eden.

02/03 - unsealed Caelestis.

02/27 - unsealed Gate of Spheres. Seraphim most uncooperative.

03/03 - unsealed Tomb of Metatron.

Gate of Gaea

Gate leading from outside of the Carpathian Mountains to the entrance of the crypt. Sealed by massive stone doors on which is written several passages in Latin, it is guarded by several traps along the way, which leads to the Path of the Goddess Earth, bearer of sin and oblivion.

Gate of Eden

Gate found at the end of the Path of the Goddess Earth to the second entrance of the crypt (which is the Gate of Eden itself). Found within it is the Hall of the Goddess Sky, protector of the divine and truth. It has 12 gates, corresponding to the Biblical passages in Revelations, upon which the 12 angels stand guard. A beautiful stained glass-lit passageway leads from this hall to another passage within.

Caelestis

"Heaven" in a Latin sense. Protected by DEUS, it is a beautiful marble sanctuary wherein the fabled Fountain of Youth was found, its sparkling waters cascading over its many marble terraced steps. As with the Gate of Gaea, it was closed on its 4 sides by massive stone doors with Latin passages...doors that undoubtedly lead to the hidden sanctuaries of this magnificent mausoleum. 

Gate of Spheres

A very huge room in which the Relics were unearthed from 300 years of fitful slumber. Protected by SEALERS, it is a circular room with a very brilliant star map carved upon the ceiling, moved by an extraordinary and very brilliant system of gears timed as to move in accordance with the heavens. The room is divided into 9 concentric circles, much like in Atlantean fashion, which move in accordance with the star map located above, unsealing doors to pass through and sealing doors you can't go back to. Christian Rosenkreuz really protected his sister very well. 

Tomb of Metatron

The innermost sanctuary of this very intricate and trap-riddled mausoleum, it is where the immortal Sophia Rosenkreuz was entombed in order to preserve her unsullied purity and innocence when her older brother died. It is hexagonal in nature, and very huge; bound by several stained-glass "windows" on each side and lighted by a stained glass ceiling from above. The entire room is made of a cream colored marble, and soft colored marble flooring. The Tomb itself is sealed by means of the Wings of Metatron himself, sealing its most precious treasure from the sullied hands of "sinners".

Sophia Rosenkreuz

(1602 - ???)

Younger sister to Christian Rosenkreuz, she lived a life of utmost purity. As her brother turned to the more mystical side of the Christian faith (and she was a young novice nun), she devoted her life to the Cross, and many "divine interventions" were attributed to her. Her hand sought by many in marriage, she sought to remain pure as the Bride of Christ. It was said before her older brother died, she wished for heaven on earth so that none would disturb her peace. Rosenkreuz took it to himself and created the Tomb of Metatron, in which he had his younger sister posthumously sealed before he left this world. 

Relics

It is not known where they were created, or for what reason they were created, but they had been around for quite a very long time already, and were entombed along with their Keeper. It is also known for a fact that they share a striking similarity to the ancient Sigils unearthed in Shantung Province, China, and were perfected by means of their generous patron of the Hiwatari Heavy Industries, Mr. Souichiro Hiwatari. It is from these ancient Sigils that the current Sigils were based, and created.

Incarnation

For the record...when the Tomb was opened, it was already empty. There was a worldwide search for Sophia's reincarnation, as she had doomed herself to remain on this planet until the time of heaven's judgment should come to cleanse the world. Althaea Elisabeth Marguerite Sullivan-Whitaker was the reincarnation, shown by her reaction to the Kyrieans Barrier and the Mahannon Crystals, which were very frightening, to say the least. She was taken by good will of her parents and bound to the Wings of Metatron on her 5th birthday. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_______

**CASE # 139 - 870003**

**Examiner:** Dr. Keiko Ogura **Attention: **Imperial Capital

**Assisting Examiners:** Dr. Itsuki Takizawa Defense Command

Dr. Eisuke Nomura

**Date Examined**: 03-15-1919

**Time:** 1700 hours

**_Please note that this report is certified true and correct._**

_Patient in a very deep coma; bruises to shoulder blades, back, lower arms, lower thighs and legs very prominent, as physical evidence in relation to a very prolonged amount of physical torture was found. Vital signs very faint; patient alive, but just. Reaction to the Kyrieans Effect most outstanding; as with reaction to -Nirvana- Crystals, reaction is very frightening, to say the least. Awaiting further instructions. _

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a very tense atmosphere in the room, Takao swore he could cut it off cleanly with a knife. Yuri, Kenichiro, Lei, Max, and Takao looked from Kai to the man then back to Kai and back to the man again. 

"Uh..." Max ventured.

"Well...? Do you have anything to say for yourself, Father?" Kai said again.

Mr. Daichi Hiwatari frowned, then looked at his son, with a steely expression in his dark brown eyes. "Kai."

"..." Kai frowned. "What are you doing here at the Kagekidan...? I thought you said so yourself that you're NEVER coming back to this place, after Mother died...?"

"It is none of your business. Besides, I am here for Daitenji and Mizuhara." Mr. Hiwatari looked around the room and found the rest of the Kagekidan troupe looking curiously over at him. He let out a short laugh. "Isn't it funny. Back all together again. A very INTERESTING _deja vu_...don't you think so, Kai?"

"..." Kai's brows furrowed even deeper.

"If your older brother were HERE, I shudder to think what he would say to you."

Kai's red brown eyes flashed. "I have NO older BROTHER~~~!!!" he growled.

"The last time I checked, he still was with the Imperialists..." Mr. Hiwatari said softly, glaring at his son.

"..."

"If it weren't for HIM, you wouldn't be able to be here at the Kagekidan in the first PLACE~~~"

"Hiwatari."

Both father and son looked towards the doorway and found Daitenji-kacho standing there, frowning slightly. 

"Daitenji..." Mr. Hiwatari turned to look at him, his eyes little slits of pure hatred. "What was that ABOUT~~~?! Almost razing what's LEFT of the Imperial Capital to the GROUND...what were you THINKING~~~?! And taking those abominations on a free for all, to BOOT~~~!!! You think you can do anything you want here at the Kagekidan, just because the Emperor's senior advisers trusted you on this so much as to give you full rein over EVERYTHING~~~"

"Hiwatari!" Daitenji-kacho calls out again. "This is not the place for such outburst! If you want to have a piece of me and Judy, there's the office." The grandfatherly old man looked over at the other cadets, who were still looking at them with wide eyes, with the exception of Kai, who was seething and had his eyes cast down to the floor, clenching his fists tightly. "Sorry about this embarrassing display, children...you may as well continue with your rehearsals." 

Both Daitenji-kacho and Mr. Hiwatari left the rehearsal hall without another word. Lei looked over at Kai, whose bangs had thrown his eyes into shadow.

He slowly walked over to where he was, his amber gold eyes thoroughly worried. "Kai..." he began. "I..."

"Shut UP~~~!!!" Kai looked up, then glared at Lei. "You don't know ANYTHING about me, so just SHUT UP~~~!!!"

"Hey Kai, aren't you being a little too harsh...?" Max said. "Come on, Kai. We're all in this, together..."

"I don't want ANY of you going near me. You HEAR~~~?! ANYBODY~~~!!!" With that, Kai threw his script down to the floor and stalked away from the rehearsal hall, almost flinging a startled maid down the steps in the process. Lei's eyes went wide. "Kai..."

"Forget it. He's just the biggest jerk there is." Takao sighed. "Kai's got his own skeletons in the closet, so to speak, and all we could do for now is just wait until he simmers down." 

"We can't wait for him, we've got the play to worry about." Yuri shook his head. "Oh well. I just hope he simmers down before curtain call or something. Queen Titania can't really deliver her spiels if her husband's out, having a temper tantrum." 

"He will. He just has to deal with his 'ghosts' for now, and he'll be perfectly fine." Max nodded. "So, how did those aerial leaps go over again...?"

"And here I was thinking that you could've acted more like the respectable man you once WERE, Hiwatari. What the hell are you thinking?" Dr. Mizuhara was glaring at Mr. Hiwatari. "You could've saved yourself a LOT of embarrassment by not taunting your son in font of his teammates like a childish 5 year-old, and yet, you went with it, anyway. Wasn't suffering for Saya's sake enough...?"

"If he wasn't HERE then Saya could've been still ALIVE," Mr. Hiwatari growled. "It's his fault why she went crazy like that."

"Am I really listening to Daichi Hiwatari?!" Dr. Mizuhara was shaking her head. "That person who was responsible for curbing that -Nirvana Meltdown- 4 years AGO?!" 

"It's Kai's fault. It's HIS FAULT~~~!!!"

"Stop it, the both of you. This is not the time for bickering about petty disputes." Daitenji-kacho sat down at the table, looking at both Dr. Mizuhara and Mr. Hiwatari with a steely eye of the great General he once was, all traces of his grandfatherly attitude gone. "A crisis is at hand, and as the Axis operative was just so glad to point out, the Imperial Capital Defense is crumbling. Now, will you set aside your feelings of a wrathful father for a moment and act like a former Imperial Capital Defense Corps commander, would?"

"The key word is 'former'." Mr. Hiwatari shook his head. "I have no idea why I'm back here, in the first place."

"You cowardly traitor," Dr. Mizuhara muttered.

"That's enough, Judy." Daitenji-kacho looked at the both of them, his eyes becoming steelier (OO;;). "You have come of your own free will, Daichi, and I am glad that not all those irresponsible oafs sitting in the Ministry of Defense are deaf. However~~~"

"I am here on Ministry of Defense business," Mr. Hiwatari cut in.

There was absolute silence for a couple of seconds.

"How could you turn your back against what we have so sorely worked hard for the past 4 years?" Dr. Mizuhara said softly, looking at Mr. Hiwatari with a very revolted look on her face. "Have you forgotten your duties...?"

"My duties as of this moment lie with the interests of the Chrysanthemum Throne's heir, himself, and I am NOT going to go on with this masquerade filled with fools," Mr. Hiwatari answered coldly. "And as one of my duties, I have been tasked with the honorable job of dismissing the present foolish administrative staff by the end of the next full moon, and have them replaced by respectable, knowledgeable people who certainly know what they're dealing with here."

"Dismiss...?" Daitenji-kacho asked, his face expressionless.

"Yes, that's it. The Ministry of Defense is in an uproar, and they want to focus Japan's energies into fostering diplomatic ties with the surrounding nations...this war is just a mad man's folly, and they want to go on with the ideals of world peace without resorting to these maudlin shenanigans."

"Remove the people behind the Kagekidan...?" Dr. Mizuhara was appalled. "Are you INSANE? Are they going to turn a blind EYE against what's HAPPENING out THERE?!" 

"The only ones who are BLIND are you and Daitenji, and those foolish people who still think you could salvage Japan's imperial glory by means of wars against non-entities," Mr. Hiwatari continued. "I suggest you better start pulling your tentacles off the Emperor's senior advisers." 

"So you think those people who would seat themselves pretty at the helm of the Kagekidan would win their own war against Team Axis? You have been blinded! And to the Ministry of Defense's R and D Department who would mass produce these Sigils for the sake of just strengthening their illusions of lofty GRANDEUR~~~!!!" Dr. Mizuhara's closed fists were shaking in anger. "What happened to YOU?! Why are you throwing your duties AWAY?! We vowed to stick together through thick and thin, devoted our lives to protecting the innocent with our BLADES, and here you go just throwing that bond all AWAY?! If that were the case, Fei just died for NOTHING~~~!!!"

"We were all idealistic, but the situation has gotten way out of hand," Mr. Hiwatari replied. "Who would want to let freaks loose to defend the imperial capital, anyway? It's because of our differences that people shunned us for what we ARE, and it's because of our differences that people would want to make us pawns in their deadly game of deceit and pain and hatred! They almost had us executed for putting the ENTIRE Japanese race in danger, by Tsuzuki's -Nirvana Cross- and by summoning all his -Shikigami-! And when I curbed that...what did I get...?! What did we GET?! NOTHING~~~!!! We believed that we could truly save everyone from being enslaved by Axis...but where has it gotten us? Only ridicule from the Imperialists, one dead, one missing, and still another one INSANE~~~!!! Imperialists branding us for being the insane people that we are who think they could get away with just everything just because Daitenji happened to be a childhood friend of 4 of the Emperor's most trusted and senior advisers~~~"

"Are you finished, Daichi?" Daitenji-kacho stood up, then looked at Mr. Hiwatari, his eyes gone very cold. "If it means forsaking your duties as one of those who have vowed to protect the Imperial Capital from any threat, protect the heir of the Chrysanthemum Throne from any threat...then, you have truly forgotten who you are, Hiwatari. I regret to say that you have become one whom I do not recognize anymore."

"Fine then. The news that will reach the ears of those who seat themselves prettily in the higher alcoves or whatever beyond the comprehension of us mortal men, will be your promise of retirement, as with the rest of your staff, at the end of the next full moon." Mr. Hiwatari sniffed. "It is also their will that they would want to hear about your 'breakthrough plan' of harboring a Russian in the employ of the Kagekidan, when you fully know that Russia by now is embroiled in its own turmoil as a possible cradle of that dreadful communism ideal which we peace-loving citizens and the Emperor of Japan himself totally abhor. And that girl whom you 'rescued' from her fate, knowing full well that she is the enemy, and a very dangerous one at that. An Axis operative." He bows a little too stiffly. "Good day."

He leaves the room. Dr. Mizuhara was very angry, and Daitenji-kacho was just quiet. The grandfatherly man sighed.

"Well...it seems that it's us against the world now, Judy." Daitenji-kacho shook his head. "Buddha help us all." 

The rehearsals had stopped lunch time, and Daitenji-kacho (who looked unusually drained and pale) told them that they have their afternoon off, for there would be a lot of things that would be going on later. Max was talking with his mother, Takao and Kenichiro went to the hangar to outfit Dragoon with the new prototype engine (-Nirvana Obsolete-), Yuri had locked himself up in his room to write his mentor a letter, while Kai was still nowhere to be found. Max reckoned that he'd be showing up sometime next week, considering it wasn't next month yet. But Lei was worried.

***_I've never seen someone so angry before...but, I guess I have to trust Takao and Max on this one. I don't know Kai that well yet, and besides, he's been biting at me every chance he gets._*** Lei sighed. ***_Oh, well._***

He was walking listlessly down the hallways of the Imperial Opera House when a maid went up to him and handed him a long brown air mail (or ship mail...?! ^^;;) envelope. Lei turned it over and found out that it had come from Mao.

He tore the top edge of the envelope neatly then pulled out quite a thick sheaf of oyster white specialty paper, the kind they use for doing calligraphy. He sees Mao's neat and flowing Chinese script marching up and down the folded sheaf of papers and began to read.

"_Hey Lei..._

_It's been a long time since I wrote you a letter last, but then again Mama reminded me that I wrote you a letter on your birthday (OUR birthday) many months ago. Thanks for the cute little hina you sent me, I've been doing all sorts of things with it the last couple of months, and Mama agrees they're just the handsomest set of hina she has ever seen, and that's saying something! Oh, and Bao sends his regards, he's missing how you always try to throttle him every time he gets to those steamed fish dumplings Mama always sets out for you during tea._

_The White Tiger Village is still as ho-hum as always, and Mama reckons it's time for ME to get married. What's up with THAT~~~?! Grandfather's been looking through all the worthy candidates streaming into our house for the past couple of days (make that the past 2 years ever since I/we turned 13!) and of course, I turned them all down, I STILL want to enjoy my life being as carefree and as "wild" as the older people in our village brand me, a hoyden of a proper White Tiger Village maiden. Isn't that just SO contradicting? I do not want to get married yet, but I guess just saying that phrase to Grandfather would instantly set him rolling to his own grave. Hey! It's NOT as if I'm going to BE an old maid by the time I/we reach 20!_

_As for other things...well, Mama could verily say that I am ready to be any man's wife. I mean, I can cook, I can manage the household properly...but then again, Aunt Wei is mourning the fact that I still run out with the rest of the boys in the village, just because there aren't enough maidens to hang out with. Besides, hanging out with boys is way so much FUN! I just don't get it why all Mama's and Papa's sisters and aunts and female cousins have those long faces on when I tell them I caught a really big fish by the river edge with Rai and Bao and Keiki and Gao. Is it wrong to catch FISH~~~?!_

_These rants could go on and on. Anyway, enough of that. What have you been up to, lately? Aunt Wei reckons that you must be doing something real important right now, because you haven't written any letters ever since you sent that hina set ages ago. I understand. But Mama's getting real worried lately. She just broke a glass encased picture of you a while ago---you know, you were wearing that really ridiculous outfit that you call yourself a stuffed undercooked prawn or something---anyway, Mama got really terrified and she started calling on Byakko and every single bodhisattva she could. I got a little scared, too. Remember? Mama broke that glass encased picture of Papa too the day before he died. _

_Hey, at least when you DO die, you'd at least pay me a visit! I miss you terribly, Lei-chan, and Bao's fish dumpling antics only make it so much worse._

_Please write back as soonest!_

_Love,_

_Mao._"

"..." Lei smiled fondly. Yes, he sure missed his mother's fish dumplings, and Bao's crazy antics...and all of his childhood friends so much, especially his younger twin sister, Mao. If there was just some way that he could see all of them again, but...duty calls, and he has to remain here as the soldier he was to the Imperial Capital Defense. Oh...but he sure missed them! Well, he's going to write them a REAL long letter, and he's going to tell Mao about all the things he's been up to lately, and his newfound friends as well. He's also going to tell her about the part he got for the upcoming play, and Daitenji-kacho, and Dr. Mizuhara...

**CRASH.**

Lei looked up, coming out of his reverie, startled. He saw a young girl struggling to get up from the floor, her small pale hands groping the smooth marble flooring as if she was looking for some hidden palm holds (^^;;), faintly gasping for air. But her hands were cut from the broken ceramic shards, and there was blood all over the floor.

Several maids came running, but Lei got to her before any of them could, stuffing Mao's letter into the envelope and putting it inside his jacket and he got down to his knees and reached out to help her.

"Eden...save me...death bringer...thorn bearer..."

"?" Lei held her by her arm. "Miss..."

"Light's bane...shadow chaser...Eden...save...me..." The young girl's eyes widened then she looked over at Lei, her startling ice silver eyes filled with tears. "Ewin...help me...!"

"What...what are you..."

"Damn it, Kon, what did you do to HER?"

Lei looked up. The maids blinked, then got out of the way as Kai walked towards them, his face having a look of shock as he hurried towards the still baffled Chinese young man.

"I was...she is..."

Kai got down to his knees beside Lei then looked over at the young girl, who was now sobbing faintly as her seeming ragged condition would allow. "Are you alright...?" he asked in perfect, accent-less English. "What happened...?"

"Light's bane...sorrow...please...help me..."

Dr. Mizuhara came running a few seconds later, Max at her heels. The maids were whispering among themselves as they stood in a huddle quite a few steps off, and Dr. Mizuhara's bright blue eyes softened upon seeing the young girl.

"What are you doing out of your room...? You still have to rest." Dr. Mizuhara nodded, then got down on her knees beside Kai. "Come on. That's a good girl..."

"..." The young girl shook her head then started crying hysterically, to which she clutched at Lei tighter. Dr. Mizuhara frowned slightly, then looked at the maids nearest her. "Please, I need to speak to Daitenji-kacho at once. Tell him to meet me at the hospital ward."

"Yes, Mizuhara-hakase!" With that, the maids ran off.

"And please see to it that you prepare a room as soonest when Daitenji-kacho should call for it. I'll take her back to the hospital ward."

"Yes, Mizuhara-hakase!" the other maids replied.

"Good." Dr. Mizuhara looked at the still crying young girl, who was still clutching Lei so tightly her pale knuckles turned even more white. "Althaea...could you stand up if Lei helps you...?"

The young girl didn't reply, but she didn't protest either when Lei helped her up, Max just staring at her and Kai frowning even more.

"Kai. Could you please see to it that the hangar is secure...? And the Relic, as well. Report back with the rest of the other Kagekidan members as soon as you've done that."

"Yes, Mizuhara-hakase." With that, Kai left without another word.

Max looked at his mother. "Mom...?"

"..." Dr. Mizuhara nodded. "OK, let's get her back to her room, Lei. Max, come with me."

"But...but that's CRUEL~~~!!!" Takao's eyes were wide. "She can't...she CAN'T be bound to that...THING...like THAT~~~!!!"

"Yes, it is cruel, and sad to say, we really can't do anything about that for now, Takao," Daitenji-kacho said quietly a few minutes later. "Once you're used to that kind of abuse, you'll just keep looking for it all the time."

"I don't think having those curved chains burrowing deep inside my flesh is my kind of hobby," Yuri said, blinking. "It's hard enough spending a graduation 'ceremony' lying down on rusty old springs for beds while tailing those Axis operatives, let alone spend 9 years torturing yourself with those chains hanging you up like some horrid travesty of a roasting chicken in a rotisserie."

"Quite true. But those Axis operatives aren't your...usual villains." Daitenji-kacho's eyes were sad. "Subjecting that poor young girl into 9 years of torture would be beyond anybody's comprehension...but those crooked Knights believe that she must torture herself in order to gain more power."

"Power for what, Daitenji-kacho?" Kenichiro asked. "Why does she have to gain more power...?"

"You saw what happened in that battlefield," Dr. Mizuhara said, addressing Takao, Kai, Max, and Lei. Her bright blue eyes were unusually steely. "What did you see...?"

"Well, there was a lot of flashing light and not much else," Takao answered, thinking. 

"Idiot. She was MEANING the actual battle," Kai muttered.

"WHA~~~?! Hiwatari, what are you trying to get AT~~~"

"She controlled all aether and chi waves according to her will," Max replied. "It was...horrible. I mean, she was turning our innate aether abilities against us, and...suffice it to say, I don't want to experience anything like THAT ever again."

"Yes, I thought Dranzer was getting barbequed," Takao said, nodding. "Too bad it didn't push through."

SD Kai gave him a swift stomp to his feet, and SD Takao's eyes became wobbly.

"..." Dr. Mizuhara turned deadly serious. "Would you believe me if I told you that wasn't her REAL power, yet...?"

"!" Kenichiro was surprised. "You mean to say, Mizuhara-hakase~~~"

"Just think. If that girl were to fully utilize THAT power, we could all be buried 6 feet below right now," Kai said again. "It's a good thing she was still at a loss when we faced her...I shudder to think what could've happened if she managed to raze all of the Imperial Capital to the ground all by herself." 

"Her powers..." Yuri began.

"Yes. Daitenji-kacho and I believe, that her true powers are still lying within her, waiting to be awakened. Whoever sent her on that suicide mission must be either totally crazy or totally devious as to put us all in a bind. We can't risk having the Ministry of Defense get their hands on HER, not with what's been going on nowadays...you can't tell who works for the Imperial Capital or who doesn't, anymore. If other factions should get hold of her, they might use her powers for their own evil gains, and in so doing, unwittingly help Team Axis fulfill their dreams of the utter enslavement of the entire human race. Or...she may be a blessing in disguise. But if she's really that important and powerful, the Team Axis would waste no time in order to bring her back to the shadows with them, again. If that happens, then all hell would break loose. And of course, we wouldn't want THAT to happen. That's what the Kagekidan is for." Dr. Mizuhara nodded. "I trust you all in this?"

"Yes, Mom, you know you can count on me," Max answered. He blinked. "Oops, sorry. What I meant was...yes, you can count on me, Mizuhara-hakase."

"And I," Takao put in.

"And I," Yuri said, nodding. 

"I am with you all the way, Mizuhara-hakase," Kenichiro added.

"My loyalty lies with the Kagekidan, and forever it shall remain steadfast," Kai said.

"I truly believe in what we're all fighting for here, and I will remain loyal to the Kagekidan until I breathe my very last," Lei replied, his amber gold eyes narrowing and turning serious. 

"..." Daitenji-kacho slowly nodded. "I trust you are not following orders by blind faith alone...? For the road ahead, in ridding this world of Team Axis in order to bring peace to those who wish it...would be fraught with danger. I don't want you to waste your lives for such a hollow cause...you are too young."

"..." Takao grinned. "Hey, Daitenji-kacho. We survived Kagekidan training, you can be VERY sure we'll still follow you to the ends of the world. And besides, we're doing this because we all believe in what we're all fighting for, as Lei said earlier. To that, I swear on my blade. And you can never get surer than that."

"..." Daitenji-kacho nodded again, giving them all a very grandfatherly smile. "Yes. I believe we still have hope left. And I all thank you. All those 4 years weren't in vain."

"Of course it ISN'T~~~!!!" Max grinned. "Hey, I didn't act 4 years as a lamp post for nothing! Yeah, we'll ALL get through this YET~~~!!!"

All of them cheered, and Dr. Mizuhara and Daitenji-kacho laughed. 

Sometimes the gift of laughter in these very trying times is the best gift anybody could give, and they were proof of that.

The Kagekidan will prevail.

"..." Kenichiro was wide-eyed. "Gee. You said it was HUGE but I have no inkling that it's THAT huge."

Yuri gave a goofy grin. "They used 7 cranes just to get it on board, and Daitenji-kacho said the ship had to reschedule those other shipments that were SUPPOSED to come on board along with my Sigil on another ship in fear that my Sigil ship would sink with all that baggage. Suffice it to say, I'm very glad it's already here!" 

"Armor's basic -Sigil Guard-. Height: 16.7 meters, weight: 8.2 tons, Steam Engine Output: 16,770 kg, Anpsychic Synch Ratio: 98.652 %, -Nirvana- Crystal Synch: 96.783%. Armaments: Zweilanzer double aether pistols, Grengast shotgun, a couple of derringers..." Kenichiro's mouth was a small O. "Wolfborg's an AWESOME Sigil, if I do say so myself. Best for long range attacks. Wow, those Axis operatives wouldn't know what hit THEM...."

Wolfborg towered over them, standing right beside Driger. It was a gray blue in color, with several ice blue projections located upon its shoulder guards, its many aether-powered firearms slung in a stylized holster about its waist and behind its back.

"Just a few meters more, it would knock the Imperial Opera House down right around our ears," Takao said, nodding. 

"Oh yeah," Max agreed.

"..." Lei looked at Kenichiro, who was still gaping at Wolfborg towering above them. "Hey Kenichiro, what's the tallest Sigil locked within this hangar, anyway?"

"Let's see." Kenichiro blinked. "In descending order, that would be Stallorn, Aerheil, Falcrest, Geistall, Dyrnwynn, Brigid. These were the Imperial Capital Defense Corps' Sigils. Then, in our case...Wolfborg, Dranzer, Dragoon, Driger, Draciel, and Dreschel. Stallorn and the rest of the ICDC's Sigils are already kept in the lower hangar...our Sigils are located in the upper hangar."

"...I see."

"Hey, where's Kai?" Takao asked suddenly.

"He's hanging out with Mizuhara-hakase and Daitenji-kacho at the lower hangar," Yuri replied. "Falcrest was reacting to the Relic."

"?" Takao blinked. "Is that good or bad?"

"Bad. The last time Falcrest reacted, Asato Tsuzuki tried to take his life." Max was quiet. "I wonder what's going on right now...?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** ..........................................................................................................................................................................................

Why did Falcrest react to Edelweiss...? HMM. Stay tuned for THAT chappie~~~!!!


	12. Tenth Moon

_Haru_:

Tenth Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Me back on another chappie~~~!!! WHEEE~~~!!! Uh....ahem. Anyway, the truth about Falcrest and Edelweiss...REVEALED~~~!!! Also, Geissler raises hell at Oblivion, Lilith becoming even more pissed off, some cameos from Team America (O.O;;), and...Asato Tsuzuki going sleepwalking **HALF-NAKED** in the esteemed hallways of the respectable hospital ward. I mean, he's only wearing THAT loose _nagajuban_. ***o* *o* *o*** R/R PLEASE~~~!!!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, and Asato Tsuzuki + his 12 original Shikigami. They're owned by their respective authors. I do own the OC's and some terminologies written herein, though, so NO SUING~~~!!!

"..." Dr. Mizuhara sighed. "It's only become so much WORSE."

"You're telling me, Judy. Now those -Seraphim- don't want us getting near the Relic from the end of this hallway." Daitenji-kacho had a helpless look on his face. "It may have sensed our arguments a while back, and now they've decided for themselves that we're evil humans."

"..." Kai looked over at Daitenji-kacho. "These -Seraphim- could sense THAT?"

"Oh yes, Kai, very much so." Dr. Mizuhara looked over at the other end of the hallway, where Edelweiss was located, protected by 7 spheres of floating different-colored light. "If I'd known better and learned of such a very sophisticated technology beforehand, I certainly wouldn't go and eat my hat. But now they're here, and the wonderful ostrich feathers I had eaten a while ago are giving my stomach a very enthusiastic revolution."

"Our Sigils...the ICDC Sigils, that is...were excavated alongside the original Relics that Team Axis had excavated from the Tomb of Metatron 14 years ago. It is not known for what exact purpose these Relics and Sigils were created, but...I've a pretty clear picture of what those 2 very different 'machines' mean to each other, and it surfaced 4 years ago." Daitenji-kacho nodded. "For what aether powers they have control over, those Relics, I mean...the original Sigils were a complete opposite. Your grandfather based the designs of your Sigils on our original models, and...suffice it to say, he was really brilliant. They've taken after the original Sigils in the aspects of both power and technology, although...he wasn't able to exactly copy those engines he saw on our Sigils. So that was why he had developed the steam engine instead."

"Yes...I remember quite clearly...Grandfather used to have those heated discussions with his group of scientists over the 'Nirvana Project', as he called it." Kai nodded. "Father...well, he didn't want anything to do with it after Mother went completely crazy...and...my older brother...passed away..."

"..." Dr. Mizuhara looked over at Kai. "Kai..."

"It's alright, Mizuhara-hakase. I'm fine." Kai bit his lip. "It's just so frustrating to think so...he disappeared, really, like the way Takao's father vanished after that meltdown. It's just safer to think of him as dead, when we really have no idea where he is right now." 

"Yes, yes...I have wondered about it, as well." Daitenji-kacho took off his glasses and wiped them with his white handkerchief. "Although...thinking about what had actually happened during 'that' episode...let's just say it's safer just leaving it as it is. I'm sure...wherever those 2 are right now, they'd really appreciate it if we just leave them as they are."

"Quite right." Dr. Mizuhara sighed again. "But if only Masao were here, he'd give us a very good explanation of what those -Seraphim- could do aside from taking potshots at undesirable intruders."

"..." Daitenji-kacho got the thick brown folder from inside the small brown envelope Kai had given him a while ago. "Well...whatever their purpose is...I'm sure we wouldn't want to know. But then again...if the rest of the Relics are outfitted with such devices...I guess we might as well send these boys marching into their deaths without knowing what it WAS that hit them."

"Of course." Dr. Mizuhara opened her own folder she held in her hands. "It is safe to assume that those -Seraphim- are controlled by psionic waves...coming from deep within the -Eden- engine itself. As for its entirety...yes, everything's controlled psychically, if you call it. It's a pretty sophisticated Relic from any other Relics we've encountered before."

"Psychically..." Kai frowned. "Yes, now that you mention it, Mizuhara-hakase...she kept us pretty busy doing all of us in with those psychic bolts of hers...and she's not even doing a thing."

"It's specially made to utilize its pilot's innate aether and psionic powers directly. I guess being bound to the Wings increased the pilot's powers dramatically...torturing herself to gain more power. I've never seen anything quite like it." Daitenji-kacho nodded. "Its entire frame has been reduced for minimized weight...but, behind its seeming frailty lies the impressive technology of whatever civilization created it. That Relic is more suited for aether attacks rather than physical combat...plus, its minimized weight allows for more easy mobilization, if you get what I mean. The Wings inside the cockpit ensures an uninterrupted flow of both aether and psychic energy to the Relic, as it's directly connected to its -Eden- engine."

"Its uniqueness doesn't end there. What surprises me even more is that it NEVER uses fuel in order to mobilize. All it needs is the pilot's aether and psychic energy to be able to move." Dr. Mizuhara pointed to the Edelweiss. "See those weird looking double skirts at its sides? They act as stabilizers whenever the Relic has to move at a hair's breadth to attack, in the middle of dashing towards an opponent to attack, for instance. The hovering capabilities are quite superb. And...those 'skirts' hide its most dangerous weapons of all...the Pulse Rods. One hit by a spread Pulse Rods attack, our Sigils won't stand a chance. It's like being bombarded by Max's Aether Cannons at a rate of ten shots a second. It's a good thing she never was able to use it...I shudder to think what could've happened after that." 

"Its main weapons for offense include those Pulse Rods, those -Seraphim-, its devastating aether capabilities, and those psychic bolts," Daitenji-kacho continued. "Other than THAT, we have ABSOLUTELY nothing to worry about."

"..." Kai looked over at Daitenji-kacho. "So...if the Relics come pouring into the imperial capital to attack...I guess we all have to run?"

"I'm hoping that won't happen, Kai. That's why I had Yuri get this other information for us." Daitenji-kacho frowned. "And it's pretty terrible. That Relic never WAS excavated during that Axis plunder of the Tomb of Metatron 14 years ago." 

"!" Dr. Mizuhara was surprised. "You mean to say....?!"

"Yes, it was excavated the same time Falcrest was excavated 10 years ago...up in that Oblivion. You see, those 2 mechs have a lot more in common than they have with the other Relics and Sigils. The nature of their true powers are still asleep within them...although, Asato Tsuzuki gave us a pretty clear picture of what Falcrest was capable of during meltdown 4 years ago." Daitenji-kacho closed his eyes. "Just imagine it. If Falcrest's true powers include releasing ALL Asato's -Shikigami- and that includes his OTHER still untapped devastating ones...what more if Edelweiss forces its pilot to release all her -Dynes-...? And they were forced to fight?"

"Wait a minute, Daitenji-kacho...you mean to say that those 2 are the 'Limiters' my grandfather had been telling me about?" Kai asked the grandfatherly old man.

"Yes, Kai. Your grandfather was a very avid supporter of the archaeological digs Takao's father and I did in China, before we got called into Imperial Capital Defense duty. He had those hundreds of notes about the nature and origin of these strange monuments we've unearthed...monuments to a civilization that was unfortunately lost to the ravages of time. He stumbled upon the book of a 17th century German doctor named Dr. Hans Kyrieans, the man who was responsible for our understanding of the relationship between the anima and the animus, and its reaction to certain people who were gifted with controlling a given amount of aether power directly related to their relation to either that of the anima or the animus...what we know as the Kyrieans Barrier, Kyrieans Effect, the Mahannon Crystals of the Relics and the Nirvana Crystals of the Sigils of today. He also made notes of a tale from a member of the Rosicrucian Society about a very old but sophisticated civilization which made these mechs and had them sealed in for all eternity. Across these notes, your grandfather discovered about 2 mechs which were responsible with the balance of the entire world and its governing aether...the 'Limiters' Falcrest and Edelweiss. Team Axis had been so foolish enough as to unearth the Edelweiss from its resting place, thereby upsetting the balance and awakening Oblivion. We had no choice but to unearth the Falcrest in order to restore balance and hopefully...return Oblivion to its slumber."

"Oblivion...?" Kai blinked.

"To the Team Axis and its group of Knights...they call it -Eden-. To us in the Imperial Capital Defense...we call it -Nirvana-. Asato Tsuzuki had already sent out a warning beacon to the Oblivion by means of Falcrest unsealing his true powers. It's only a matter of time before Althaea Whitaker should send out her own warning beacon...and if that happens...everything would be reduced to nothing." Dr. Mizuhara looked over to where Edelweiss was, the 7 spheres of different colored light bobbing about it like huge floating fireflies. "In order to prevent that from happening...it's a must that we keep both 'Limiters' and prevent them from fighting each other...whether the Edelweiss' arrival is a boon or bane, a fluke or a complete stroke of genius, would be revealed in the coming days ahead."

"..." Kai was quiet. "Then, darker days are ahead. It is what grandfather has feared, ever since the day my father had turned back on his duties and his loyalty to the Imperial Capital Defense to work under those lackeys...the day when Oblivion was almost upon us. Where will we find solace...?" 

"To that question, I don't know, Kai." Daitenji-kacho nodded. "I am hoping that it would not come to that." 

"BASTARDS~~~!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE~~~?! WHY~~~?!" 

"It's as easy as pie, Geissler. She was quite getting on our nerves," one of the dark robed men muttered in a thick Austrian accent. "It's been enough that we have to put up with your petulant whims for the last 9 years. And it had been enough." 

"IT IS NEVER ENOUGH~~~!!! NO~~~!!! SOPHIA MUST NOT BE TAINTED BY THOSE HEATHENS~~~" 

"Why you are SO adamant about protecting 'Sophia' is way beyond me." Herrault smiled angelically. "Or is it that you're just being cruel to her...? What if she's not the 'Vessel'?"

"SHE IS THE VESSEL~~~!!!" Geissler was short of flinging the men holding him back, his face twisted in rage. "HAVE YOU ANY DOUBTS ABOUT HER HERITAGE~~~"

"Calm down, Geissler," Bauer said nervously. "She's suffered enough, 9 years bound to those wretched Wings...what more could you probably ask of her? And she's awakened Edelweiss much earlier than we had all hoped for. I never thought that she would be able to align with her -Seraph- that easily...not for another 200 years." 

"100 years...5,000 years...it makes no DIFFERENCE~~~!!! SHE-WASN'T-SUPPOSED-TO-BE-UNBOUND~~~!!!"

"She WILL eventually. Have you forgotten Falcrest has already made its call? It's just a matter of time before her -Dynes- would awaken. Although...it was an abysmally foolish idea to send her in ahead to those idiots. Now they both have the Keys they need to awaken every single -Animus- locked deep within them." The man with the Sicilian accent glared at Geissler, who was still struggling. "So don't put all your blame on us. If it was her choice that she be unbound, then even you would have no power whatsoever in refusing it."

"HOW COULD SHE REFUSE?! SHE WAS TAKEN FROM HER TOMB~~~"

"Enough." Lilith glared at Geissler. "I'm sorry, but you are causing us great embarrassment, Anton. If you don't stop this childish act right now, we will be forced to report this to the Magi."

"And please, could you pick a better word other than 'tomb'? We keep forgetting that the person involved here is STILL alive and not yet dead," Herrault added.

Geissler glared right back at Lilith. "You have NO right whatsoever in sending her OFF to those HEATHENS, Lilith. I'm warning you, if any of those beasts touch her, I SWEAR I'll kill THEM ALL~~~!!!"

"For the love of God, Geissler, would you PLEASE be reasonable?" Still another of the Knights sighed. "You have no right in blaming Lilith, or any of us for that matter. The Magi was the one who directed us to do it. Even the Kaiser bows to the Magi."

"And what good would it do if you kill all those brats straightaway...? You'll take out all the fun in this sorry existence of ours, and probably we'll all get so bored that we'd want to kill ourselves. I don't think they would like that." Herrault blinked. "And I daresay, I still want to remain alive for my Maman's 97th birthday."

"I don't CARE about your stupid MAMAN~~~!!!" Geissler was very furious. "If they should harm her...you'll ALL regret it, mark my WORDS~~~!!!"

"Fool." Lilith's eyes flashed. "Your words mean NOTHING~~~!!!"

"I have waited for her for the past 300 years, and I certainly wouldn't let all those years of waiting go WASTED. I had been searching for her ever since I realized who I was. It wasn't easy looking for her...I've waited...I thought everything I did was in vain....and the moment I looked into her eyes I knew I finally found her. If it weren't for ME you wouldn't have found HER, and that 'Limiter', and pretty much everything ELSE~~~!!! It took years to persuade my father in excavating that Tomb and unsealing the Relics...and now you've all taken the only person who mattered most to ME." Geissler's eyes were pained. "Isn't my suffering enough...? Why are you still so selfish as to take my Sophia away?"

"For a scholarly simpleton, you amaze even me, and that's saying something." The man with the Sicilian accent stood up from his chair. "But this isn't about ANY affair of the heart, Geissler, it's what we stand for as the Temple Knights and Team Axis as a whole. If you're hindering us, then we would all be forced to put you in your place. Or have you forgotten because of your precious little apple tart Sophia?"

Geissler made a furious move towards him, his eyes flashing with rage. "You do NOT insult her by such LOW names!"

"**Enough.**" 

The whole room quieted, just as a tall man covered in a full dark red coat come in. His face was covered by a cowl. "Now what seems to be the problem?"

"I...it's...nothing, Sir Balthasar, sir..." Bauer replied, kneeling down quickly on one knee. The rest of them did the same, with the exception of Geissler.

The man was quiet for a few seconds before turning to face Geissler.

"Geissler...I've expected more from you." The cloaked and cowled man they called Sir Balthasar sighed. "I guess your memories...and your feelings for Sophia are still hindering you as well as they did 300 years ago. Have you forgotten? She had given her heart away, and unfortunately, it wasn't you who received it." 

There was a sudden flashback. A young girl with very long wavy (Tomoyo Daidouji-like) hair with the brilliance of faded autumn was looking shyly from behind a brilliant trellis of huge pink roses (O.o;; climbing rose bushes, anyone?!), watching a group of young men talking to a venerable-looking old nun that was unmistakably a Mother Superior of the stone edifice she was in (a convent). One of them blinked, then turned to gaze upon the young girl, who blushed furiously and tried hiding herself behind the roses. The young man's clear amethyst eyes looked worried.

"How could she, a very respectable Lady, bestow her heart upon such a very unworthy candidate? She was more suited to manor life, and yet she decides to pick a wind-fallen fruit on the ground rather than the sun-kissed one on the tree. It was for this reason she chose the quiet life of a nun...so that she could spare the both of them the pain. But in fact...the pain only became so much worse." There was a shot of Sir Balthasar's lower portion of his face, and his lips were curled in a languid smile. "You weren't able to do anything, protect her when she needed anyone most...and yes, the circle goes on." 

"..."

"Remember...Ewin?"

"What..." Geissler's eyes went wide. "He's not...he cannot have..." 

"Why did she choose Oblivion? Simple. It was because she would be closest to him." Sir Balthasar started walking towards Geissler. "Poor Rosenkreuz was so devastated about his younger sister's death, that he had built that elaborate Tomb, before he died himself. Where was Sophia? She had herself sealed in Oblivion, the very heart of the Tomb where her brother had 'sealed' her in, to protect her innocence and purity from the evil world she was unfortunate to have been born into. And in Oblivion, there was also he. He wanted it that way so that he cold continue watching over her even in death. Touching, isn't it...?"

"No..."

"Why did she seal herself inside that Tomb with him...? Does it boggle your mind...? She crashed Edelweiss into Oblivion because it was threatening to eat the world again as it did thousands of years ago. Either way, protecting the world and protecting him." Sir Baltahasar's smile became even wider. "Theirs is a mystery that only they could understand...and we're just helping them to finish what Oblivion had started ever since -Eden- arose thousands of years ago. As the keys start up a a string of notes to make a melody...all the Keys are coming in place. And once Edelweiss awakens...we would be able to use Oblivion as we see fit."

Geissler fell down to his knees, his eyes wide and unseeing. Sir Balthasar turned on his heel and walked away.

"Make sure this mess be cleaned up as soonest. We do not tolerate sloppiness."

"Yes, Sir Balthasar."

The door closed, and one by one the Knights all stood up to leave the room, eager to right the wrong they did right away (O.o;; redundant...). Lilith clenched her fists as she looked at Geissler, still looking so hopelessly lost and confused at what he as forced to remember all over again. 

***_How could he forget her, he was there when she died right in front of him and he wasn't able to do a THING!_*** Lilith turned and walked away, seething. ***_Still a fool. When would he ever learn that he wouldn't be able to win against a ghost?! Your eyes are wide open but are blind. She would never ever return your feelings because she had given it away to someone else. When would you be able to figure it OUT?!_***

Still seething, Lilith went out the door, leaving Geissler to his very own thoughts. 

He closed his eyes.

***_Sophia...when would you ever 'SEE' me?!_***

"A direct order from HQ?"

"Seems like it. We have to stop Axis before it could completely have the entire world in the palms of their grubby hands." Michael Patterson was frowning as he made his way down the bright hallways of the Eagles Headquarters, a division of the United States Ministry of Defense. "Intelligence files say they're quite on the move again, in order to unseal Oblivion faster than we could say 'splat'."

"That's odd." Emily Watson was thoughtful. "They had been relatively quiet for a long while now, why did they choose to strike at this particular time? Have they unlocked the -Anima- already?"

"To that we could only guess, Emily. Right now, I have to do my thing in Germany. I'll meet you in Japan as soonest." Michael blinked. "Oh, before I forget...please don't forget to deliver that black box to Dr. Mizuhara. It's VERY important."

"I know, Michael, you don't have to tell me twice."

The accordion gate (O.o;; you know, the ones you see in lifts inside some studio type apartment buildings...) slid open, and the 2 cadets got on the lift, Michael still frowning, Emily still thoughtful.

"I hear the Kagekidan's out to stage _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. Be sure to get a ticket, I hear it's going to be VERY good."

"...?" Emily blinked. "Huh...? Were you saying something, Michael?"

"..." Michael had a goofy look on his face. "Never mind. Hey, once you get out of that uniform, would you do me a favor and rest? You've been working your ass off for the last couple of weeks, it's a miracle that you're still standing up when Eddie and I reckoned you'd be dropping down in a week."

"I'm alright, Michael. Besides, it's been a pleasure...I've been working on those files for weeks, I hope Dr. Mizuhara would find it very useful." Emily nodded. "I've been doing some research on those archaeological digs Axis was involved in 14 years ago, and the Japanese government's digs in China, considering it was new hostile territory...anyway, there were a LOT of interesting facts I unearthed...oh, pun intended." 

"Really?" Michael turned to look at her. "Tell me something I don't know." 

"Well, apparently, whoever made these mechs were in a really big war among themselves thousands of years ago. I mean, I checked the blueprints of all the original Sigils and Relics unsealed in those great digs 14 years ago and they were made completely antagonistic to one another. And...for the fact that they were using technology quite unheard of...those aether engines were really one neat piece of work, I wish I could invent something better someday. And there's this weird diagram...looking like a tree of some sort...I checked it out in the main library and found out that the diagram was a representation of the Cabbalistic -Path of Sephiroth- of some sort. You know, 10 -Holy Sefira- on the left side of God, and 10 -Unholy Sefira- on his right...or is it the other way around...? And guess what? The Sigils and Relics were related in THAT way." 

"Oh yeah." 

"And the handwriting was SO strange, it wouldn't be farfetched to say that it's the handwriting of some alien race." Emily blinked. "I haven't really figured out what the writings mean on each 'tree branch', but I've a guess they correspond to each of the -Sefira- mentioned in the Cabbala."

"Uh-huh."

"I've made technical blueprints of each original Sigil and Relic, plus a couple of other things I translated in Dr. Kyrieans' journal, and his theories involving aether and its resonance according to one person's closeness to either -Anima- or -Animus-. It's an absorbing read, really...oh! I've also included the diagram of the Tomb of Metatron, up to scale. And...his notes on Oblivion."

"OK."

The accordion gate opened, and the 2 cadets walked out of it. Emily was still thoughtful. "I've put everything into those files...you know, Michael, I shudder to think what could happen if somebody other than they or other members of the Alliance should get hold of this..."

"You know, Emily, you've already DONE a lot of thinking." Michael smiled at her as he pushed the door of their mess hall open. "Coffee or tea?"

The nurses were all gossiping, they didn't realize that a young man had already shambled past them in an unsteady walk. 

"..."

Asato didn't know what was making him do this, but there was a reason...or else, he wouldn't be able to pull all those wires off of him at his own free will.

There was somebody calling him. It was the only thing that mattered in his mind at the moment, and for one strange second, he felt his mind miraculously clear.

He had to walk on and on and on.

Where was his feet taking him anyway?

He stopped right in front of an open hospital room, and saw the girl lying on it, sleeping.

He reached out and held the door for support, to which his knees buckled and his legs gave way, and for one frightening but oddly gratifying moment (what a CONTRADICTION!), Asato thought that he was already dying.

***_Promise me...you'll always be beside me...even as I close my eyes now..._***

A flashback of a young girl slumped in a cockpit of some sort, blood all splattered about it. She was growing weak, and her heart was going faint. Her silver eyes looked strangely peaceful even as she lay there dying.

***_...I promise. I won't leave you no matter what happens...I'm always here...always..._***

A flashback of a young man with his forehead leaning against the window of his own cockpit, tears streaming and fogging the glass with his ragged breathing, his eyes closed, his fine jet black eyebrows drawn in a pained gesture, his jet black hair coming loose from its low ponytail. 

There was a crash, and a scream, as one of the nurses who went to check in on Asato to deliver his rose ration found his bed empty and splattered with blood from the many wires he pulled off of him. 

Who was calling him...?

What was he seeing...?

Was he making a promise to a ghost of his past...?

Did he even HAVE a past, to begin with...?

What was making him do THIS?!

The nurses followed the trail of blood from Asato's room to the new charge's, and found him crying.

Asato slowly lifted his tremulous hands to his face, and felt the tears as they coursed down his cheeks.

Tears...?

He just saw the young girl fall in a void of swirling white feathers and everything suddenly came back to him.

Pain.

Unbelievable pain...

He was...

He has...

He can't be...?!

*****_SOPHIA~~~!!!_*****

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** O.o;; The plot becomes even more convoluted. A love triangle?! Who was that mysterious young man whom Sophia had loved?! Are THEY or AREN'T they?! +________+ Somebody give me Advil, QUICK~~~!!! 


	13. Eleventh Moon

_Haru_:

Eleventh Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** The plot gets even more convoluted! What's up with these -Sefira-anyway?! What -SERAPHIM-?! Each of the Kagekidan's members have a corresponding -Sephiroth- to their respective and innate aether abilities and skills, as well as with the Team Axis operatives. What is Yuri hiding? How is he related to the 3 Magi? What is inside that gold box he owns? And do I hear Final Fantasy Unlimited...?! Go, YURI~~~!!! ^o^ Team Axis on the MOVE~~~!!! R/R PLEASE~~~!!!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, and Asato Tsuzuki + his 12 original -Shikigami-. They are owned by their respective authors. But I do own the OC's, some terminologies, and some factions bent on world domination portrayed herein. So no SUING~~~!!! 

The -Path of Sephiroth-

*lifted from the notes of Dr. Hans Kyrieans, noted para-psyche expert, as translated by Emily Watson, Cadet First Class, Eagles Headquarters, United States Ministry of Defense

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**The Ten Holy and Unholy Sephiroth of the Left and Right **

** Sides of God **

**HOLY (RIGHT) UNHOLY (LEFT)**

**KETHER** ("Crown") -Metatron **THAUMIEL** ("The Two Contending Forces") -Cathariel

**CHOKMAH** ("Wisdom") -Raziel **CHAIGIDIEL** ("The Hinders") -Ghogiel 

**BINAH** ("Understanding") - Tzaphkiel **SATARIEL** ("The Concealers") -Sheireil

**CHESED** ("Mercy") -Tzadkiel **GAMCHICOTH** ("The Breakers In Pieces") -Azariel

**GEBURAH** ("Strength") -Kamael **GOLOHAB** ("The Burners") -Usiel

**TIPHARETH **("Beauty") -Raphael ** TAGIRIRON** ("The Disputers") -Zomiel, 

Belphegor

**NETZACH** ("Victory") -Haniel **HARAB SERAP ** ("The Ravens of Death") -Theumiel,

Baal Chanan

**HOD** ("Glory") -Michael **SAMMAEL** ("The Liar" or "The Poison of God") -Theuniel,

Adramelek

**YESOD** ("Foundation") -Gabriel **GAMALIEL** ("The Obscene Ones") -Ogiel

**MALKUTH** ("Kingdom") -Sandalphon; **LILITH** ("Queen of the Night and the Demons")

in other lore

Shekinah

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**OF THE ANIMUS AND THE ANIMA**

...I have great reason to believe that there exists an enormous amount of aether concentrated in the very fabric of this world as it had been so for millennia. The reason for this energy concentration had always been a mystery...although, old manuscripts from the infamous Rosicrucian Society point out the reason for its existence. 

As there is Yin and Yang in the Far Eastern principles, there exist the Animus and the Anima for the Western world. The 2 must always be in balance, in order not to create great chaos among those living in this world. To be able to attain this balance, there must exist a limit in which all those aligned with the Animus and the Anima to restrain what they have control over in order not to overpower the other. It is for this reason why not everybody in this world was gifted with such. 

The manuscripts which I have been translating are very vague about the clear distinction between these 2 -Personas-, but I could safely say that they were separated by means of specific traits which we differentiate as being masculine and feminine, much as that of the Yin and Yang itself. The Sun rises in the East as the Moon rises in the West; as the Great Burning Chariot of the Heavens chase the Wraiths of the Night which bring overwhelming sadness and despair to those who had been enslaved by the shadows that had dwelled in their hearts. 2 opposing forces; 2 very different Personas, yet each one so much like the other. One cannot exist without the other, as only that would bring about the balance in order not to send this world spiraling down to Oblivion... 

**AETHER AND THE HOLY WARS**

The aether was spread by means of the grand destruction of the 2 most powerful kingdoms at war 3,700 years ago. These kingdoms were known as Elhru and the Holy Kingdom of Seris. 

Elhru was a kingdom located in the Western Seas, as Seris was located in the Eastern Seas. Elhru had very sophisticated technology and were great seafarers. Seris was described very much as a traditional kingdom, where aether was used very much, and their lives took more of a slow pace than their Elhruan counterparts. 

A long time ago, before the great wars, Elhru and Seris were at peace with each other. They exchanged their knowledge and skills, and were engaged in a lively trade between Elhru's sophisticated technology and Seris' vast aether stores. For a while it seemed, their peace totally secure. 

It was not during the dark and trying times that followed when the 2 kingdoms started to drift farther and farther apart. A nobleman in the Chancellor's Court of Elhru had started spreading rumors about Seris' supposed "backstabbing" activities that culminated in a famine that spread throughout their land (it was due to Seris' aether potency). In Seris, accordingly, there spread the rumors of the Elhruan intent of taking over their kingdom by means of their sophisticated machines of war and wrest their control over the aether which were entrusted to them by means of their Contact with Eden. Talks were made, but only ended in discontent and a further dissolving of the Elhruan and Serisian bonds of great friendship. Therefore more rumors and talks led both Houses in both kingdoms into splitting, there were those who supported the rumors and there were those who don't. Finally, after the death of the Serisian Kaiser (which led the other Serisian nobles to agree that Elhru was indeed bent on taking over their kingdom), the bonds binding both Elhru and Seris were sundered and both were thrown into a great war that resulted in their kingdoms' destruction after it was finished. 

There had been a great many losses, but it was here where it was recorded of the 2 kingdoms having used these Sigils and Relics for the first time. It must be made clear that in those days, their technology had been so advanced as to utilize their own armies in fighting each other, and I wouldn't be too surprised if both Elhru and Seris had launched attack forces of 10,000 strong each! Sad to say, even the war had not spared any samples left save for those who were made to use the Keys and in so doing, preserve their "damnation" to which their descendants would be bound right to this very day. 

It was not clear how the war ended, but it was certain that Oblivion had risen up in order to deal its rightful judgment over the sinners and the 2 warring kingdoms were just a little too late to stop it. In the ensuing final confrontation that followed, Oblivion was defeated, although not without a heavy loss of lives, and the "binding" was created that was to carry over through succeeding generations in order to finish what Oblivion has started. Oblivion's defeat caused a major upheaval that shook the very heavens itself, and it swallowed both kingdoms by the seas which had borne them. Thus the Limiters were unsealed, and the kingdoms' destruction produced a great explosion in which the aether which was sealed within the kingdom of Seris was scattered to the 4 directions. It was not clear why it was scattered, but it was widely believed that it was for this world's redemption, in case Oblivion decides to rise again. 

**THE SIGILS AND RELICS**

For what reason they were created, it had been totally lost to the ravages of time...but the manuscripts tell so much of an apocalyptic battle that happened thousands of years ago that totally threatened the existence of this world. The wars had been so catastrophic that it even sent kingdoms come crashing down to the very waves which had borne them, and sent the people of these mysterious civilizations burying their war trophies in the Sacred Land of which they had both sprung from. 

The war trophies in question are the huge metallic automatons used by their most brilliant generals who rose in order to shape peace from chaos. Their powers were very vast and limitless, and very terrible; the manuscripts said that there were some even more terrible than those sealed underground that they had to be bound to Oblivion itself in order not to create another catastrophe. Of this the Father Animus and the Mother Anima was mentioned, the only ones which were especially gifted with the brilliance and grace as accorded to the highest Seraphim who attend the glory of the Lord, bound by their duties of both Death and Creation. 

Of these great many "artifacts", the manuscripts tell of a division among its classes, as much as we divide work among ourselves, and by the nature of our work, we could derive our classes. By Father Animus, there exist 4 Seraphs, the governing body of the Light of the Sephiroth, who in turn are given dominion over the lesser Angels who make up the Paths that lead to eternal radiance. On the other hand, those under Mother Anima, exist 4 Achaeons, the governing body of the Shadows of Sephiroth, who in turn are given dominion over the lesser Arcane who make up the Paths that lead to eternal darkness. 

Each of them were aligned and bound by means of their respective Keys. These Keys in turn were given names in accordance to each Sephirothic incarnation they possessed. I have included the names of those who had successfully aligned in the great wars which the manuscripts mentioned, and those who were predicted to align with their own Key in the future, as foretold by the "Malakh Scriptures". They are as follows: 

The 10 Holy Sigils The 10 Arcane Relics 

**ANIMUS ANIMA**

**KETHER** - aligned with Ewin **THAUMIEL** - aligned with Erich 

**CHOKMAH** - to align 300 years from now **CHAIGIDIEL** - aligned with Jezebel 4,000 years ago 

**BINAH** - aligned with Orpheon 4,000 years ago **SATARIEL** - aligned with Amiel 4,000 years ago 

**CHESED** - aligned with Marius 4,000 years ago **GAMCHICOTH** - to align 300 years from now 

**GEBURAH** - to align 300 years from now **GOLOHAB** - aligned with Kessler

**TIPHARETH** - aligned with Rouen 4,000 years ago **TAGIRIRON** - to align 300 years from now

**NETZACH** - to align 300 years from now **HARAB SERAP** - to align 300 years from now

**HOD** - to align 300 years from now **SAMMAEL** - aligned with Ulrich 4,000 years ago

**YESOD** - aligned with Mariah **GAMALIEL** - to align 300 years from now

**MALKUTH** - aligned with Durin **LILITH** - aligned with Sophia

**A. SIGILS**

The Sigils are the incarnations of the Keys present in each of the generals and their descendants. They were created in order to stop the Anima from usurping the radiance of God and bring equilibrium to aether present. Sigils, as their name imply, refer to the seals of each attribute they were accorded with. The seals in turn were the Keys needed in order to align with each of their respective Sigil. There were 10 Keys, 10 Sigils; each Key corresponded to each Sigil, and each of these Sigils represented the military might of Elhru.

**KEY SIGIL CONTACT **

Kether Falcrest Erril Sigismund Lourson-Weiss

Chokmah Stallorn Kieran Ravengale

Binah Geistall Orpheon Falstaff

Chesed Dyrnwynn Marius Schlessinger

Geburah Aerheil Lloewen Silverbough

Tiphareth Legato Rouen Aernslad

Netzach Oruvuil Dain Lorrain

Hod Nereus Alain Oreon

Yesod Brigid Isoude Ellsworth

Malkuth Ellvyne Loris Schinder

*please take note that these were the original pilots (generals) who piloted these original Sigils in the Holy War 4,000 years ago. The Keys correspond to each Sefira, the Sigil to each mech, and the Contact as each of its designated pilots. - Emily

**B. RELICS**

The Relics are the incarnations of the Chalices present in each of the generals and their descendants. They were created in order to stop the Animus in fulfilling their foreordained duties, and deliver judgment to the world by bringing about total oblivion to its sinners. Relics, as their name imply, mean the holy incarnation of each governing aether attribute (Chalice) that was accorded to them as designated Contacts, which is embodied further in the holy Arks that were created in order to protect Seris from Elhru. The Chalices in each chosen individual served as keys in order for each of them to align with with their respective Relic. As the Elhruan Sigils were gifted in physical power and might, the Relics were more devastating in terms of dealing aether damage, as the Serisian generals were Achaeons, individuals gifted with exceptional aether and psionic prowess. There were 10 Chalices, 10 Relics; each Chalice corresponded to each Relic, and each of these Relics represented the aether might of the Holy Kingdom of Seris. 

**CHALICE RELIC CONTACT**

Thaumiel Essedel Arcenbryght Eversleigh

Chaigidiel Pallas Jezebel Llownry

Satariel Ellvuil Amiel Holtz 

Gamchicoth Vayeane Emmerich Elridge 

Golohab Zelgiss Sigil Ashtear 

Tagiriron Soldiver Rune Reinhart 

Harab Serap Meridiel Vahn Brighthelm 

Sammael Ragnarok Ulrich Ellenduil 

Gamaliel Astalte Alastair Irvine 

Lilith Edelweiss Ceresia Wyndgale

*please take note that the same rules of interpreting these data like what I did to those of the abovementioned list of Keys, Sigils and Contacts (refer to Sigils subsection) apply. 

**OF HOLY AND ARCANE**

As their Keys and Chalices suggest, the 2 opposing Sephiroth are not so named because of their "holy" and "unholy" qualities; rather, it is their purpose that defines them as accorded to each of their respective relationship to the Animus and Anima. The Sigils were created to bring the mercy of God upon sinners, while the Relics were created to bring God's righteous judgment upon the many evils that had plagued the world since the fall of Man; that is, the destruction of the world to bring upon a New Jerusalem. To create and destroy...these were the exact purposes of each Sigil and Relic, bound to them by means of their original Contacts 3,700 years ago.

**ACHAEONS**

The Holy Kingdom of Seris was accorded as a kingdom of people with varying aether capabilities, and there were some who were more highly attuned to the Anima than the others. Born with very high levels of aether induction, these individuals were considered as God's chosen ones, called as their "Messiahs", and had dominion over the aether spheres. They were exceptionally rare. These "Messiahs" in turn protected the Arks of Seris and the Holy Kingdom itself from those who should wish to wrest their powers from them, and in so doing, "protect the gates of Heaven from sinners". They were called Achaeons.

**OBLIVION**

Nobody knows Oblivion's true purpose, but as it had been recorded 3,700 years ago, Oblivion was called forth from its slumber and rose to engulf the world in eternal darkness. I have great reason to believe that Oblivion has lived far more than when the Holy Wars erupted...a somewhat allegorical representation of which could be that of man's innate goodness and the evil secreted from man's "taint" from his continuing exile here on earth...when the balance is upset, he would be engulfed in his own weakness and spiral down to his Oblivion and destruction...meaning Oblivion has been "asleep" in each and every single one of us ever since the dawn of mankind.

...Oblivion was described as the "harbinger of the void", "eater of worlds", etc. True to Atlantean (Atlantis?) fashion, God had decided to let man develop and evolve himself, until their vast knowledge threatened the very existence of God Himself; and bringing this upset of balance in both the Animus and Anima, called Oblivion from its fitful slumber and decided to bring those who foolishly tried to rise against God down to their right places. But its duties as the Judge were forsaken...unleashing its terror unto the world, unleashing all that was forbidden. The Holy Wars tore the very delicate peace that had bound both Elhru and Seris together, took them into a very great and bloody war that annihilated their own kingdoms, then becoming obliterated themselves as they barely contained Oblivion and sealing their fates by means of their "contracts", their powers sealed in their descendants, waiting for the right time before awakening them again, in case Oblivion should rise up and continue where it had left of.

...its cycle of destruction was temporarily stopped, and I have reason to believe that Oblivion would still try and take over the world as long as there are descendants of the original Contacts still living. I have confirmed the reaction of both Limiters as their designated Contacts have been incarnated by means of both Ewin and Sophia...as for their alignments, they were awakened because of Oblivion's "pull" at their respective Animus and Anima (e.g., how they were "related" to Oblivion 3,700 years ago)...the other calculations have been made by determining each Key and Chalice reactions to their "contract"...

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"..." Daitenji-kacho sighed. "He's completely calmed down. Thank goodness."

"You said it, Daitenji-kacho, I thought he was going to make a run for the open window at the end of the hallway." Dr. Mizuhara looked over at the attending doctor, who was checking Asato's many inserted tubes. "How is he?"

"Not very well. That tube-pulling episode almost sent his entire system out of whack, if you get what I mean. Too much brain input into a catatonic brain, I wouldn't want to see anything like that again. He almost made that 'psycho pulse' he did 11 years ago. I shudder to think what the scenario could be if he went crazy like what happened 'before'."

There was a sudden black and white flashback showing 8 year-old Asato holding his head in his hands, thick splatters of blood all around him. His eyes were wide and unseeing, and he was sobbing very raggedly.

"Yes...I remember. He suddenly flared up just like that." Daitenji-kacho was quiet. "It sent 5 very innocent and otherwise clueless doctors into the morgue in the hospital they were all working in. It was a total nightmare. The Imperial Capital Defense Corps were all about to drop him like a very hot potato until Souichiro stepped in."

The doctor sighed, shaking his head. "The only thing I can't understand is WHY those people up there were so keen on experimenting on him and then they want him dead after he unleashes his full potential. And administering that foul untested drug into him! He was a CHILD, for crying out loud!" 

"Yes, the Imperial Capital Defense High Command was breathing fire for weeks. And they wanted us to pay for what they had foolishly done, looking around for scapegoats to toss the blame at. Masao told them beforehand that forcing his Shikigami to come out would be totally dangerous, but they went ahead with it anyway. Damn impatient bastards." Dr. Mizuhara shook his head. "Asato didn't ask for any of this, why are they putting all the blame on him?"

"More like damn, impatient idiots, Judy." Daitenji-kacho smiled at the doctor. "Thanks, Yuji, you've been putting up with our deranged 'spit-outs' ever since the day I proposed to create the ICDC and the Kagekidan. Too bad Fei's not around here anymore to roll around on the floor and laugh until he almost asphyxiates whenever we have those rows."

"Hey, just doing my job." Dr. Yuji Maeda nodded with a wave of his hand. "I've been crazy ever since I joined this damn chicken coop. See you in a little bit, I still have to attend to the other victims of the recent Axis pillage."

Dr. Mizuhara was laughing as the old doctor shambled out of Asato's room, tears in her eyes. "Chicken coop. How I WONDER." 

"He must be pertaining to those evil mindless puppets the Ministry of Defense has been decorating on top; they squabble over this project like a bunch of headless chickens. And the Imperial Capital Defense isn't exactly as spacious as the Imperial Palace." Daitenji-kacho shook his head. "They're squawking MAD, all of them." 

"You said it right." Dr. Mizuhara looked over at Asato who has now resumed his normal catatonic state and had a pale blue tinge underneath his eyes. "Now I wonder what he's thinking..."

"He's thinking that he has to get out of this miserable hell." Daitenji-kacho looked over at Asato, who was staring off into space. "Asato...?"

"..."

"No use, he's resumed catatonia." Dr. Mizuhara looked over at Daitenji-kacho. "It was terrifying, wasn't it..."

"Yes, I actually thought that he pulled that 'psycho pulse' again, I was half-expecting seeing those bloody splatters decorating the hallways of that ward a while ago." Daitenji-kacho bit his lip. "But why had he chosen that particular room?"

"The question is how the heck did Falcrest manage to blow all its seals off, Daitenji-kacho." Dr. Mizuhara was nodding. "And wow, I thought New Year has come WAY too early. I know they're both Limiters, but...that was kind of overwhelming to say the least, even if I expected that something like THAT would happen."

"The boys got thrown off their feet in the process, and Kenichiro was more worried about the database in the hangar computers than his own life. Sometimes even I can't believe the dedication of that young boy; even if it's a little too much." Daitenji-kacho was shaking his head. "I've never seen anything quite like that in my ENTIRE life, Judy, although a similar event may have happened when Axis unsealed Edelweiss from its resting place and leaving Falcrest all alone by its lonesome." 

"And speaking of reactions...Asato was hysterical when we tried removing him from the Lady Whitaker's room's doorway. And he was crying. Now what's going on in here? Asato Tsuzuki has not shed a tear in the last 4 years he's catatonic." Dr. Mizuhara shook her head. "I guess the new patient's doing miracles to his catatonic state."

"Must be." Daitenji-kacho looked at Asato, who was still staring off into space right in front of him. "She's a blessing in disguise. For whatever reason the 2 Limiters are acting up again...I sure hope it's a good thing. In the worst case scenario...Axis has finally unsealed all -Anima- and is just waiting for us to unseal Edelweiss. Then it's party time. I sure hope we've managed to unseal all -Animus- before Oblivion comes to eat this world up again..."

"Not quite, but we're getting there." Dr. Mizuhara reached out and patted Asato's hand gently with her own. "Hang on a little bit more, Asato. You're going to be fine. I promise. We promise." 

"..."

"We're the only ones left." Daitenji-kacho closed his eyes. "Buddha really help us all."

"..."

Yuri was staring at the locket that hung about his neck a little while later, when he was about to go to bed. Takao, Max, and Kenichiro were all talking nonstop at dinner time a while ago, of what had happened at the hangar of the Kagekidan. They've been talking about lots of reasons of what went wrong, each theory even more ridiculous than the last. Lei had just become extremely quiet, poring over the letter he got from his younger twin sister as he ate through the sole amandine, and Kai had looked extremely pale. They all had their own sets of problems to think of, and now that combined disaster of the Limiters' reaction to each other and Asato's near "psycho pulse" hysterics has given them new problems to think of. 

Oh, the REAL problem was just getting started.

Yuri looked over at the framed black and white photograph he had put on his desk. Dmitri Cherkovsky was right there with him, smiling grandfatherly at the camera, Yuri holding his rifle. He remembered that day. It was the first day Cherkovsky has given him his first gun and sniping lessons, and Yuri had learned so rapidly that they advanced into using rifles and shotguns at the end of that particular day.

Yuri was very sure that those were his first gun lessons, but as Cherkovsky remarked, he exactly wasn't a greenhorn. He handled all those guns as if he had done it in all his entire life.

What Daitenji-kacho said was even more disturbing.

He had remarked that Yuri was just re-learning what he had completely forgotten.

***_Re-learning...?_*** Yuri thought. ***_Have I used guns my entire life before...?_***

The locket that hung from the fine gold chain about his neck glinted in the gloom, and Yuri lifted it to stare at the design more intently. He had never really thought much about his past, when he was still at the orphanage in Balkov Monastery, or its significance for that matter. But what had happened a while ago made him wonder now who he really was.

The locket glinted innocently back at him. It was spherical in shape, decorated with crossed swords and a small gold crown on top of its hilts, and tiny writing that was around it, faded in the passage of time. Yuri could tell that it was very old indeed, and it was a priceless heirloom of some old noble house. Was he the last of a powerful old noble family that was exterminated in the ensuing confusion of the first stirrings of war all those years ago...those times when the poor had toppled the wealthy in order to get back at all the suffering they had patiently borne until now? 

The more he tried to think who he really was, the more the truth evades him. Whenever he tried to summon up memories of his short childhood before waking up in that room with those 2 violent men arguing outside, his head ached very terribly, and all he could see were the flames that engulfed his home, his life, his memories, leaving his past in ashes.

Why was it that he had chosen to forget?

Or was it because somebody stepped in and MADE him forget?

Yuri held the locket in his hand, as if trying to reassure himself that if he just held on to this piece from his forgotten past, he'll remember who he really was. 

And then... 

***_Everything shall be as it was._*** 

Plink... 

***_Everything will be as it WILL be._*** 

Plink... 

***_You must forget._*** 

**CCCCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH~~~**

Yuri gasped in shock, letting go of his pendant.

There was just too much pain.

There was a small flashback, like that of a very fast 8 mm movie. Yuri appeared as a small child of barely 4, crying, holding his hands to his face to wipe the tears away. His clothes, which looked like the clothes of a young nobleman (O.o;; you get what I mean...just imagine young Milliard Peacecraft's clothes during that reminiscing episode in Gundam Wing), were soiled and dirty from the smoke and ashes from the burning manor in front of him, as with his face and his hands (they were smudged with ashes). His frail shoulders were shaking in grief.

***_And now, you sleep._***

Tiny Yuri only had time to look up to see a man in dark blue robes swipe his arm at him, and there was a flash of lightning that streaked through the night sky that instant, which briefly lighted the entire grassy field as clear as day. The lightning flash illuminated the man's dark blue robes, showing a weird-looking diagram with tiny circles on them, embroidered neatly on the robe's left breast pocket. There was much pain, and tiny Yuri drops to the ground, his eyes wide and unseeing, glazed over and blank. Blood splattered on the ground, and it spread about the tiny child as if it were a travesty of beautiful angel wings.

Bloody angel wings.

The thunder rumbled, and soon rain fell heavily that night he "died", washing away the blood,. mingling with the dark-colored run-off about him, dark with the soot of the burning manor still burning (of COURSE...O.o;;) brightly, its fires seeming to mock the downpour the heavens were sending him that night to cleanse away his pain and his anguish, the raindrops pattering down on his face, mingling with the tears he had shed, coursing down his cheeks, washed away along with the run-off, washed away into forever.

Pain.

There was just so much pain...!

***_I've sent you those sprites. What do you think, Erril? I was meaning to put up an Arcandia site just for you, but Ravengale beat me to it and sent those Rippers at me._***

***_..._*** The young man with short jet black hair and silver streaks in them turned to grin at him, his slanted clearest amethyst eyes twinkling in mirth. ***_I could see why Ravengale was so pissed off. These sprites are too cute to be ignored, and you just sent it to me right under his very nose._***

***_That idiot, he was just meaning to hit on CERRIDWEN~~~!!!_***

***_Yeah, and her Blodeuedd. Yeesh, I thought he hated RPG's, now he comes and claims the whole Arcandia cast as if they were his own._***

***_I know what you mean, partner, they ARE yours._*** The dark red-haired young man was laughing boisterously, his eyes closed in mirth. ***_Yeah, you were dedicating it to CERESIA~~~!!!_***

The young man with silver-streaked short jet black hair blushed furiously. ***_Oh shut up, Loris._*** 

There was a sudden whap of a folded up paper fan to the back of their heads, and the 2 best friends looked up to see a young woman glaring down at them, her dark cream hair pulled up in a tight bun on top of her head, her gold eyes little slits.

***_**OOOOoooohhhh**, and here I wondering why those R-cels were holding UP! You morons, Chancellor Shaft's been waiting for those R-cels for the last 30 minutes ALREADY~~~!!!_***

***_**OUCH~~~!!!**_*** The dark red-haired young man glanced at the glaring young woman, holding his head with his hand. ***_Why don't you whack my head off, while you're at IT?!_***

***_I'm going to whack more than your heads OFF if you 2 slack-offs don't act right this instant,_*** the young woman growled. There were several gargantuan pulsing twitches on top of her head. ***_Double TIME! Or I'll kick you BOTH down the MERKABAH~~~!!!_*** 

***_..._*** The young man with silver-streaked short jet black hair looked at the cream haired young woman out of his one eye, the other closed in pain (^^;; you get the idea...). ***_You know Isoude, the way you're going, you definitely would turn into an old maid by the time you reach 20._***

***_What the HELL are you implying Weiss, I'm already an OLD MAID~~~~?!_*** the cream haired young woman asked, a battle aura emanating from her being.

There was absolute silence.

***_Whoops. Wrong joke, Erril, she just turned 20 yesterday,_*** the dark red-haired young man said in a stage whisper.

***_..._*** The silver-streaked short jet black haired young man turned SD, his eyes little beads.

The young woman with cream hair turned into a burning SD ogre, her eyes devilish little slits, pulsing gargantuan twitches on her head and her closed right fist. ***_**You are SOOOO DEAD, WEISS~~~!!!**_***

There was a shot of that weird-looking diagram Yuri saw on the man's robes who "killed" him in his previous flashback, and it floated above the 3 arguing friends (sure looked like it). Then another shot of that same diagram behind a group of 3 dark robed men who stood over him, the lightning flashing rapidly in the background as the rain poured even more heavily.

***_So it ends forever. Rest in peace, Sandalphon._***

Yuri held his hands to his face, and saw his locket swinging before him in the darkness.

Bloody angel wings.

Enfolding him...

What was he...

Where was he... 

Who was HE?

The Limiters' bright flash came back to him unbidden, and the bloody angel wings' feathers all scattered in a flurry, splattering him with blood.

Everything...

EVERYTHING...

Bloody hands reached out to him, along with a very frightening visage of a pale old man, his dark blue eyes wide and unseeing.

**_YYYUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII..._** (go, Gojyo's stepmom! Or was it his own MOM...O____O;; I stand corrected HERE!)

Yuri snapped back to reality that instant, his heart banging inside his chest. The image of the diagram still stood out very brilliantly in his mind, and now that memory came back to him like the very cold fingers of a nightmare.

And tears fell.

Who was he really...?

**KEY SYNCH SIGIL SYNCH ANIMUS SYNCH **

Chokmah, Kai Hiwatari; 90.34 % Stallorn, 45.76% Raziel, 35.09%

Binah, Takao Kinogu; 92.76% Geistall, 50.89% Tzaphkiel, 29.12%

Tiphareth, Max Mizuhara; 86.65% Legato, 34.97% Raphael, 15.09%

Hod, Kenichiro Hasami; 76.90% Nereus, 67.87% Michael, 45.04%

Kether, Asato Tsuzuki ; 100% Falcrest, 100% Metatron, 100% 

Malkuth, Yuri Ivanov; 94.07% Ellvyne, 80.93% Sandalphon, 92.01%

Yesod, Mao Kon; 89.99% Brigid, 45.61% Gabriel, 12.08%

???, Lei Kon; 0% ???, 0% ???, 0%

"..." The old man in dark gray robes was nodding. "Yes, it is coming along as we have all planned. They wouldn't know what hit them."

"They thought they are stopping Oblivion, but in fact, they are only helping him," still another said, this time it was a man in dark blue robes.

"They are idiots. What else can we expect of them? This time they will all fall and everything shall be as it was." The man in dark red robes was looking at the old man in dark gray robes. "Then we will all have the last laugh."

"Well put, Balthasar." The old man looked up. "The Path of Sephiroth is about to open again."

The other 2 looked up. The Path of Sephiroth loomed above them, glowing eerily in the dimness of the room, its many branches spread out like a tree, the circular diagrams slowly lighting up as each of the Contacts were nearing their Rapture Point.

"We'll show them what we Axis are capable of." The man in the dark blue robes smiled, as the embroidered Path of Sephiroth on his left breast pocket fluttered in the sudden stray gust of wind. "It won't be long, Oblivion, you will have your feast."

The sleeping huge fetus-like creature throbbed in its glass-encased womb filled with faint pinkish fluid. The 3 men standing on top of the creature were looking down at him through the beautifully etched glass floor on which was etched both Trees of Life and Death - the Holy Sephiroth and the Unholy Sephiroth, the glowing lights all about to meet in the middle; the strange writing all around the circular etched design beginning to glow as well.

"Void be deathless, and Darkness shall rule the Light." The old man in dark gray robes leaned forward, revealing a pale gaunt face and dark blue eyes, the face of someone who looked dead and still lived.

"The Path to Eternal Darkness is open. And soon shall the Void take back what it was taken from it. The -Dynes- shall awaken...and soon the Vessel shall take the role of the Mother of the Night and cleanse this world of sin. Everything is at the hands of Sandalphon." 

At that precise instant, Yuri was opening the box which had been with him ever since he had lost his memories a long time ago. His eyes were glazed over and tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"Unleash everything that was forbidden again, Sandalphon."

Yuri's eyes widened, seeing the beautiful pistol lying in the gold-embossed box he found inside the trunk, along with another smaller box inside and several documents and paperbound books, written in archaic German and Latin. The pistol was made of a strange silver material, its design looking like stylized seraph wings about it.

"Unleash the darkness inside your heart."

Yuri reached out to touch the pistol with trembling hands.

"And everything will spiral down to Oblivion."

Yuri shook his head, his eyes filling up with tears.

"Destroy the world again as you once did, together with Metatron and Lilith."

Yuri held his head in his hands.

"Remember and awaken."

Yuri started crying hysterically.

"Remember those you have killed DEAD, Yuri."

There was another flurry of blood stained angel wing feathers about Yuri.

"And remember that you should have DIED instead." 

To which Oblivion throbbed an ominous reply.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

AUTHOR'S NOTES: MY LLLLOOOOOOOONNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGESSSSSSTTTTTTT CHAPPIE (focusing on the many intricate details of Sigils, Relics, and pretty much everything else about that Holy War, aether, and terminologies from 4,000 years ago)~~~!!! Darn, I am having quite a Gothic overdose. Poor Yuri. What did that loony old man mean?! Stay tuned!


	14. Twelfth Moon

_Haru_:

Twelfth Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** GOMEN for such a VERY long update. The forums had been keeping me pretty busy, and I was busy collecting stuff for my ficcies....to which our PC spectacularly crashed down again. AAARRRGGGHHHH~~~~!!! Now I have to start over from scratch. I asked Selenay to back-up some of my files in case our PC bogs down again. TT_TT Well anyway, after that rather long and winding discussion of -Sephira-, -Sigils- and -Relics-, and Yuri's weird flashbacks, the rehearsals are under way, and there's no stopping the Kagekidan. They had to do all their best, for the heir of the Chrysanthemum Throne himself would watch their gala performance...so it's but natural that the whole cast are cases of bundled-up nerves. Daitenji-kacho takes them through their paces, even Max is in his element as the wardrobe master, and Lei gets girly-fied (^^;;). And since this was the Imperial Capital Defense's finest hour, they all had to go all out with the best thespians on stage, to give the entire world a truly spectacular performance (READ: CERTIFIED TAKARAZUKA MATERIAL). But just as Team Hoshi's having rehearsals, Team Axis is not too far behind, and Emily gets a really nasty surprise. R/R PLEASE~~~!!!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, and Asato Tsuzuki + his 12 original Shikigami; I only own the OC's, and certain terminologies portrayed and written herein. So no SUING~~~!!!

"A WHOLE week?!" SD Takao's eyes became wobbly. "But that's HELL WEEK~~~!!!"

"Well, you're supposed to shut up about it Kinogu, and DIGEST it," Kai retorted, looking up from his own short brown envelope with his script, the songs he had to sing, and the times of the rehearsals filed within. "We only have 2 weeks to go before the gala, and Team Axis is not exactly giving us any respite since Lady Whitaker has kindly joined us 2 days ago."

"But...but..."

"Hey, I think that's GREAT. I mean, I really think we could pull off rehearsals and a Team Axis invasion all at the same TIME. The last time we did, we were having a script reading during that Hiwatari Heavy Industries raid with all the bombs going on all around us while we read our lines for Othello," Max said happily, nodding. "And it did great wonders to our concentration; I didn't realize I was already killing King Lear over and over again and I got Othello and King Lear all mixed up in my head."

"With a dose of Macbeth," Kenichiro added while he cut up his toast. He shook his head. "I remember with equal fondness how Kai breathed fire for days."

Lei blinked. "You...did...?"

Max nodded again, his eyes closed happily, as he grinned at Lei. "Yep, but you really can't blame us, the only light source we had were those occasional bomb explosions and our -Nirvana- Crystals blinking on and off during 'dead zone'. My world wasn't exactly still until after 5 days of stolen catnaps."

"Uh...O...K..." Lei blinked again. "And hell week...?"

"We're supposed to wait for some Axis alarm and we hightail off to the battlefield as if we've got a billion fire ants up in our pants," Takao replied as he looked over his own script, songs, and rehearsal times from his own short brown envelope. "I mean, you have to leave at exactly mid jump and run like mad to your -Sigil- and square off against some operatives and go back to rehearsals then run off again if they become too persistent."

"?"

"Daitenji-kacho assigns pairs of pilots to do the 'skirmishing' every passing day. So, when the 2 pilots hightail off to skirmish duty, the rest of the cast is supposed to take over THEIR lines and continue rehearsing until they come back and resume their parts. That way, we won't be wasting too much time waiting around for them and have a clear view of what's still to improve and other stuff, in case the 2 pilots arrive some time after the main rehearsals itself. They only have to polish a few of their lines here and there, and that's it." Kenichiro put his toast inside his mouth. "And so, aside from memorizing our own lines, we still have to memorize everybody else's. We're going to force cram 50 or so pages of script inside our heads every single night thereafter, and that's not yet counting the songs each of our characters had to sing."

"And..."

"Still try not to become insane while we blast their -Relics- off to smithereens." Max blinked. "HEY! I get to play one of Lei's Faerie troopers...this is going to be some interesting play...my soaring jumps are the BEST in the entire Kagekidan..." 

Yuri was just quietly munching on his own toast as he looked through his own set of documents.

"..." Lei looked at his own brown paper envelope. "I'm going to play 3 different people ALL at the same TIME?!"

"Trust me when I say that's the least of your worries," Takao said, reaching for the pitcher of orange juice right in front of him. He gave a silly little grin. "Now how about trying to climb your -Sigil- in a tight-fitting gown and danger's 5 minutes away? You'll only get ripped seams, the wardrobe master will give you roaring flames for ruining a $50 worth costume, your acting hitting way below the 6 foot mark, and your -Sigil- gets a busted Chi Regulator. Not enough hell week for you?"

Lei's overwhelmed silence was answer enough.

Yuri stretched his arms way above his head, flexed the fingers of his hands, then looked over at the rest of the cast members. "Well...vocal chords and diaphragms ready? Alright, let's hit it with a C." Yuri looked at the sheaf of sheet music right in front of him, blinked, nodded, then started tapping his foot. "1...2...3."

He then played a haunting melody on the piano in the rehearsal hall a little while later after breakfast, akin to a dreamy night with stars a-flowering over the sleeping world. And the Kagekidan started to sing.

"Aaah...aah...aah...aaaahhhh...aaah...aah...aah...aaaahhhh..." Takao and Max sang.

"Aahhhh..." Kenichiro put in after a 2 second interval.

"Aaah...aah...aah...aaaahhhh...aaah...aah...aah...aaaahhhh..." Takao and Max sang again.

"Fly beyond the distant stars, and way beyond the sea...

Beneath the cold midnight skies, you had turned to me..." Kai sang in a clear voice.

"Summer's past and falling fast, the leaves of twilight home...

Far beyond the deep blue waves, I feel your eyes on me..." Lei sang in a somewhat cool voice.

"And if wishes grant for thee, shining up above, soaring free...

That's when I knew that you loved me..." Kai and Lei sang together in perfectly blended voices.

(***NOTE:** While Lei and Kai are singing, Takao, Max, and Kenichiro are still doing their vocalization parts, although a bit muted, in the background) 

"Aahh..." Takao sang.

"Aahh..." Max sang.

"Aaaahhh ah aahhh..." Takao, Max, and Kenichiro sang together in perfectly blended voices.

"Never I knew you, for what reasons I have asked,

A mere shadow of a man?

But then you gazed upon me, and I breathed,

How could you risk it all in a glance?" Kai sang.

"I knew my own reasons, yes, and they need not be asked.

A folly, yes a jest, yet I'd not loved another...

Was I risking it all, perchance?" Lei sang.

"Take me for a fool, yes, I had been dreaming,

Why did I let you go?

And now my heart is aching, 

Simple lies just pretending,

Why can't we fall just like before?" Kai and Lei sang in perfectly blended voices. 

"Fly beyond the distant stars, and way beyond the sea...

Beneath the cold midnight skies, you had turned to me..." Kai sang in a clear voice.

"Summer's past and falling fast, the leaves of twilight home...

Far beyond the deep blue waves, I feel your eyes on me..." Lei sang in a somewhat cool voice.

"And if wishes grant for thee, shining up above, soaring free...

That's when I knew that you loved me..." Kai and Lei sang together in perfectly blended voices.

(*NOTE: Same as above; vocalization parts muted in the background c/o Takao and company)

"This is just madness, foolish little glances,

What do you want from me?

I've had it with you,

Can't you see what I'm going through...

All lies, lies being true," Kai sang.

"Why can't you spare a minute,

Rest assured, and please believe it,

Don't throw me out the door.

I need you, and that's just it,

My heart, won't you please spare it!

For this is all I am, no more," Lei sang.

"Take me for a fool, yes, I had been dreaming,

Why did I let you go?

Now my heart is aching,

Simple lies just pretending,

Why can't we fall just like before?" Kai and Lei sang in perfectly blended voices.

"Fly beyond the distant stars, and way beyond the sea..."

"..." Daitenji-kacho nodded as he watched the 5 thespians go about their vocalization practice very flawlessly, and the last one playing the piano piece, as if the 6 of them didn't just go through hell and back just 2 days ago. "At the rate this rehearsal is going, those children would be able to perform the entire play for the Emperor with their eyes closed."

Dr. Mizuhara sighed. "Let's just hope they wouldn't do that, Daitenji-kacho. I'm afraid that in this week, they'd be having more nightmares than sleep...I've received word from Kyouto that those Axis operatives are on the loose and they're going to raise more than hell itself just to take back the Lady Whitaker. Add that to the Ministry of Defense breathing fire down our necks, Falcrest acting totally weird again as it did 4 years ago, those -Seraphim- making our detailed investigation regarding the Edelweiss virtually non-existent...I say we're ALL going to have a grand time."

"A typical day in the life of the Kagekidan." Daitenji-kacho smiled. "We've had hell more than this, Judy, as you ought to remember."

"Right. But we were older than they are right now, and I'm really frightened for them...I don't know how they would handle this war. I just sure hope they come out of it unscathed."

"Judy, by taking these responsibilities at such a young age make them older than any of us right now. They know that if they don't do something against the Axis, then they wouldn't be able to live their lives normally as they all want to. And besides, I'm pretty sure those boys would come out of it unscathed, they have each other to believe in, and that is what made them strong. Believing is essential to winning this hopeless war."

"~~~oh SHUT UP Hiwatari, you're just JEALOUS because you're NOT a frigging POET~~~!!!" Takao yells in the background.

"I've had better reads than THIS when I was in London, and the poets in question are 8 year-olds," Kai replied unflappably. "What, is this a poor attempt at unrequited love or something, Kinogu? I feel terribly sorry for the girl."

"**OH SHUT UP~~~!!!**"

Max, Kenichiro, Lei, and Yuri burst out laughing, as SD Takao turned into a burning ogre and started yelling all sorts of insults at SD Kai. 

SD Kai sighed. "Can't we have a MORE appropriate song other than this piece of crap? It's not like we're in LOVE all the time, and why Kinogu has even FELT this stupid emotion is way beyond me. This is SO pathetic."

SD Takao's flames burned even higher still. "**I HATE YOU HIWATARI~~~~!!!**" 

"..." Dr. Mizuhara's eyes became expressive as she watched the 4 remaining young pilots laugh, and the 2 others hurled insults at each other (Takao VS Kai), to which Kai just sighed again. She smiled. "Yes, Daitenji-kacho. I believe that there is still hope..."

Daitenji-kacho nodded. He then stood up and clapped his hands. "Alright children, that's enough! Take it from the top, Yuri. And Lei, that was pretty good. All you just need to do is give it a little more angst..."

"Yes, Daitenji-kacho." 

"Good, good. Alright Yuri. At the count of 3..."

"Oh BOY I can't WAIT for the GALA~~~!!!" SD Max sang after a whole day rehearsal later that late afternoon. He then blinked, then grabbed the Kraft paper-covered box right in front of him. "Eh, our COSTUMES! Hee hee, I can't wait to see what my costume looks like..."

"I don't want to turn into a Sugar Plum Faerie," Takao moaned.

"Don't worry, Takao-senpai, you'll only look like a Mandarin Orange Plum Faerie." Kenichiro ripped off the Kraft paper covering his own box and got his own costume. "As for me, I'll go as the Jujube Plum Faerie." 

"And I'll go as the Strawberry Plum Faerie," Yuri put in, brandishing his floaty red Faerie costume right in front of him. He looked over at Kai. "What would you be wearing?"

"I'll be wearing my birthday suit," Kai replied, "plus a bunch of dried maple leaves to cover what needs to be covered, and a crown of dried maple leaves on my head."

Takao blanched. "Just THAT?"

"Of course NOT you idiot, do you want the play to be barred from imperial audience? I'll be also walking around with a white bolt of cloth wrapped around me like a toga."

"Oh."

Lei got his costume and held it up above him. It was exactly what Max had shown him on his sketchpad, except the skirt looked like it was draped over with folds of a fine, gauzy material, as with its flowing sleeves.

Max laughed. "Ha ha ha, I don't think the male portion of the crowd would let go of you once you step into THAT dress, Lei. You're going to wear your long, glossy jet black hair up in a coronet braid, held up with pins of frosted maple leaves and dried flowers, and upon your dress, as well. And we have to bring out those exotic White Tiger eyes of yours with makeup, and even Queen Titania would be SO proud of someone playing her part even if it's in DRAG."

"What happened to the other design?" Lei asked.

"That dress is supposed to bring out the woman in you, Lei, so you would be more believable," Max told him. He grinned. "Don't worry, I haven't altered the design that much, just little tweaks here and there."

Lei turned the dress around and he gulped. "Is THAT what I think it IS?"

"Oh yes, genuine lace up ribbons at the smallest part of your back. And it's what holding the entire dress together. One tug and you'll be walking in your birthday suit 5 seconds after, so you better be careful your wings don't get snagged into the laces."

"..." SD Lei just sweatdropped.

"Oh NO I AM the Mandarin Orange Plum Faerie," Takao said in a strangled voice.

"Hey, at least you're not the Pear Plum Faerie," Max told him as he got out his own costume. He grinned. "And at LEAST we get to hold wands. Having costumes that clash with our hair couldn't be bad now, right?"

"And the audience would be seeing all red with me," Yuri put in. "So don't feel bad, Takao. I've a feeling I'll have spotlights chasing after me everywhere I go on the stage..."

"Who designs our costumes, anyway?" Lei asked.

"A VERY color blind seamstress, my dear Mr. Kon. She's just about as fearsome as Goliath is having a toothache, about as stubborn as a rickety old mule, and her color span ranges ONLY from red, green and blue." Max sighed. "It's a good thing it's still 2 weeks off till gala, and we have lots of time to fix our costumes. Good thing she could still see white as WHITE." 

"Fix our costumes..."

"Don't worry, Lei, we wouldn't be all caught dead wearing clothes clashing horribly with our hair by the time the curtain rises up for the gala 2 weeks from now. I wasn't a lamp post for nothing." Max nodded. "Now the only thing that we must worry about is how to get out of these ridiculously intricate costumes in a span of 10 - 15 seconds flat, in case of costume changes as we all play our assigned characters, each. And how not to rip it off in case of a skirmish emergency." 

"O...K..."

"Good." 

"Tomorrow, the REAL rehearsals will start," Kai was saying, looking at each and every one of them as they all sat around in the rehearsal hall. "So I want you all to memorize your lines and the others' lines very well, get a good night's sleep, so we could all start early tomorrow. Daitenji-kacho would be posting the names on for skirmish duty during the entire week tomorrow; I expect you all to read it. I won't be entertaining questions on who's on for skirmish duty during the entire hell week. Is that clear?"

"Yes, oh Great Hiwatari," Takao answered promptly.

"Good. Lights out at promptly 9:00 tonight, and start reading. No read, no eat. Is that clear?" 

"Yes, oh Great Hiwatari," Takao answered again.

"Alright. Snacks are being served in the dining hall, and Dr. Mizuhara's waiting for all of us there to give us an important announcement." Kai nodded. "Rehearsal, adjourned." 

The lonely cries of the seagulls pierced through the crisp cold air, and Emily watched them all fly by as the ship she was riding on set off from the docks off Port Arthur (I am just making this UP) somewhere in Canada. 

***_Just a routine visit, nothing much,_*** Emily thought. ***_Aunt Jean had been begging me for a visit ever since Dad died, and it's such a good thing I was sent there to retrieve something for the Eagles to give to Dr. Mizuhara..._***

Jean Kingsley was waving at her niece from the docks, and Emily smiled, waving back.

***_It'll be quite a while before I see you again, Aunt Jean. The Eagles are pretty busy, and Team Axis isn't exactly giving us any respite after that tragic meltdown 4 years ago. Gee, I DO hope everything would be fine now, that it's just a false alarm._*** Emily's clear blue eyes became worried. ***_But I know that I'm asking for the moon. Those files I translated aren't exactly my version of of comfort food...it's just confirmed what my worst case scenario analysis told me about, and it's not REALLY nice. Is Dr. Kyrieans some sort of a Doomsday Nostradamus...?_***

She watched until her aunt faded to a tiny dot in the distance before turning away from the railings and heading back to her room.

***_An entity bent on destroying the world, proclaiming itself as the Hand of God in cleansing this world and ridding it of sinners...a war beyond time and ageless than death...cycles when the world had almost come to the brink of disaster, called as the 'end of the world'...Oblivion...void..._***

Emily shook her head.

***_I'm sure Dr. Mizuhara would find a way. She found a way during those trying times in that meltdown 4 years ago...and she'll tell me that these files are nothing but ramblings of a delusional old fool and nothing else. I'm sure of it..._***

The waves crashed against the sides of the ship.

***_But why am I still afraid? Is it because I know that these files are to be believed in? That even before the beginning of time, this world was fated to be destroyed after all? Would another 'Holy War' spring up again...? Oh dear God in heaven...please wake me up and tell me that this is all just a very bad dream..._***

"...it's more likely that the Kagekidan is fully and thoroughly guarded against outside attacks by now, and it'll be harder to drag Lilith out of it..."

"...nonsense, it'll be a breeze. We have the wolf guarding us from inside, he'll be able to filch her out..."

"...do you think his loyalties are to be trusted...?"

"...it is not very hard to see where his loyalties lie, my dear little friend...as they should soon see..."

Emily blinked. The voices were soft enough to be missed, conversing in rapid German as they were, but it certainly caught her attention. She looked up. Her eyes widened. 

It...it couldn't BE...!!!

Ralf Jurgen blinked, then gave her a small smile. 

"So we meet. It's not everyday the Eagles and the Griffins meet at such short notice. Are you also headed to Japan to watch the Kagekidan's play...?" he inquired in a soft voice, with the faintest trace of a German accent.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** A conspiracy?! Oh NO~~~!!! What is owl eyes up to?! Stay tuned for that chappie~~~!!!


	15. Thirteenth Moon

_Haru_:

Thirteenth Moon

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry for the LONG update. Been doing some things here and there, as I'm back to school again in order to get some needed credits to make me a full-fledged _sensei_. I think I have Hakkai to thank for that... XD... well anyway, as the rehearsals are underway, and owl eyes has Emily flabbergasted beyond everything else, and Team Axis on the run...what on earth is going on in Oblivion's mind? Also, some surprise visits here and there, and one involves some pink-haired feline. Plus, the debut of the Sephardim! Why is Asato so ANGRY?! R/R PLEASE~~~!!!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, and Asato Tsuzuki and his 12 original Shikigami, as they are owned by their respective authors. I own the OC's and some terminologies portrayed and written herein, though, so no SUING~~~!!! 

Oblivion

_Bits and pieces of shards fly past, shards of different muted colors, some more vibrant than the others. They all flit about him like so many spectral butterflies, a little too flighty; as they soon all take off again even as he just reaches out to touch them to see if they were real._

_He knew he was floating in some void, an endless void, dark as far as his eyes could see. _

_But was he even awake?_

_Another rush of those spectral butterflies fly past more hurriedly, suffusing him with a sudden onslaught of so many muted colors, just so many, and he paused and looked around, trying to think. They all came by him along with a rush of ice cold water, the bubbles all frothing about him, magnifying each and every one of them as one could see under a magnifying glass, looking like miniature versions of a rose window of a cathedral and some miniature kaleidoscopes all in a burst of different patterns and shapes._

_He reaches out with a hand to the light, the light which had begun to appear after a long time of being in the dark. Bubbles frothed as he did, and they passed somewhere above his line of sight, making a pretty strand of bubbles like huge pearls on a string. How long was it since he last saw it?_

_But the light was cruel to him, taunting him, jeering at him. The more he stretched out his arm to grasp whatever it was, that light, the more it seemed to float away from him. He struggled, then he shook his head, then reached out again, but the light was just too far for him to reach. Light, boundless light, life-giving light, warm light, something which he had so wanted to reach for so long, always just within a hair's breadth away from him. He wanted the light._

_One of the many shards of those spectral butterflies flew a little too close to him and he turned to look at it distractedly, and was about to bat it away like some annoying fly, when he thought he saw something. _

_Darkness._

_Criss-crossing lines that were etched onto something._

_Blood..._

_The sound of some faint heartbeat._

_Fading._

_Spiraling down to nothingness._

_Flashes of what it was._

_Memories...?_

_The shards all flitted about him, whirling about him, like some rushing tornado, so fast, until they all showed what they were bits and pieces of, like a very fast, grainy, old 8 mm movie._

_He was crying._

_Those lines...those wretched lines...wires...cutting into his wrists, cutting into everything._

_It was painful, very painful. The more he struggled to get free, the more he got entangled, and made the lines burrow deeper into the fragile skin of his hands, arms, neck, and legs, drawing blood, lots of it, feeding the darkness, feeding the light._

_Wires-faces-crosses-wings-darkness-shards-broken windows-voices-meadows-scythes-bullets-blades-cries-screams-**LIGHT**-_

_The light shattered and he fell, screaming, into the darkness._

_He was._

_He was screaming._

_He was screaming and falling._

_He was screaming and he was falling **oh my GOD**----_

Althaea's eyes opened suddenly, her breathing very rapid. She was reaching out to the light, the light, and in her suddenness pulled some of the small tubes supplying her blood off, leaving thin tendrils of it coursing down her right arm. 

What was it...?

The monitor beside her started beeping shrilly, and there came running footsteps.

"Doctor..." The nurse looked over her shoulder. "DOCTOR~~~!!! Come QUICK~~~"

"What has happened?!" The doctor's eyes widen. "Damn it! How the heck did she manage to pull them OFF?!"

"I don't know, doctor...it was just so sudden..."

"Sugiyama! Idou! Get the medi pak, QUICK!" The doctor ran towards Althaea's bed, shaking his head in disbelief as the blood from the severed tubes dripped slowly to the floor, some of it spreading just as slowly across the formerly white immaculate blanket. "She's going to die of hemorrhage...what the hell was she THINKING~~~?!"

There was a door slamming, then came running footsteps. "DOCTOR!" 

"Great! Give me the gauze pads. Sanada, go get some new IV tubes and micropore plasters, quick! Idou, ready me 0.05 cc gel coagulant, 1.23 cc alpha, beta and gamma stabilizers...watch out for the aether limiter! Sugiyama, prepare to neutralize the aether stress...minimal reload!"

"Y-yes, _sensei_!"

The frantic voices all disappeared into the background, but Althaea took no notice of them. Above her, the light separated into miniature kaleidoscopes of multi-colored bursts of color, going round and round before her in a rather dizzying pace, and the shards fell spiraling towards nothingness.

What was it...? 

It was...

"~~~" Takao dropped down on his seat with a sigh. "No more hell weeks. PLEASE. I don't want to go out with Kai ever, EVER AGAIN. Please. I promise I'm going to be a GOOD boy from now on. I promise I won't eat _sushi_ sandwiches EVER again. PLEASE!" 

Lei blinked. "_Sushi_ SANDWICHES?"

Max nodded knowingly. "It wouldn't taste half as bad as long as you don't dump mayonnaise, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and pickled scallions on them." He made a smacking noise with his lips. "It really brings out the flavor of the BREAD." 

Yuri turned green. "Pickled SCALLIONS? Damn, I think I'll PASS."

"Kinogu's stomach's built like a tank, and no indigestion would be able to make it shut down, even if he has to eat plates of _sushi_ sandwiches, _natto_ shakes, and _maki_ scramblers the WHOLE month." Kai sat down beside Lei. "And that's not yet counting the _tofu_ ice-cream."

Yuri turned even greener.

"HEY! It's HEALTHY EATING~~~!!!" SD Takao fumes, his eyes devilish little slits, as he glared over at SD Kai, who was now coolly unwrapping his otherwise harmless tuna-mushroom melt on wheat.

Kenichiro unwrapped his own ham and cheese sandwich. "Takao-_senpai_'s really adventurous, and we really can't blame him. Besides, it's what makes him balanced, as he says." 

SD Kai's eyes were closed, as he munched thoughtfully on his sandwich. "Balanced in what sense, Hasami? All I could think of is that he's balanced on his right and left sides and not much else."

SD Takao turned into a burning SD ogre. "Say WHAT, HIWATARI~~~?! Oooohhh you are SO DEAD~~~~!!!" 

SD Max tried pacifying him with a wave of his egg salad sandwich on rye. "Hey, hey, calm down, Takao..." 

Lei unwrapped his Sicilian pizza melt and looked over at Kai. "Well, at least Takao's not giving you any hard time, Kai. I really thought that it was the end for the both of you when you faced off that rogue -Relic-..."

"It WAS a good thing Takao didn't manage to get sick when he was running down the hallway to the hangar with that hideous _sushi_ sandwich clamped in his mouth." Kai frowned. "Except where the HECK did that -Relic- come from? Certainly not Team Axis."

"You're absolutely right, Kai-_senpai_." Kenichiro retrieved a thick folder from the brown envelope beside him and put it on the table. "All Team Axis -Relics- are accounted for. As with our -Sigils-...yes, Dr. Mizuhara did a great job accomplishing each and every single one of our units, including those of the Imperial Capital Defense Corps, and still some unaccounted for. I guess that rogue wanted to get a bite out of the remaining -Sigils- in our possession."

"For what purpose?" Lei asked.

"I have no idea, Lei-_senpai_. I mean, if that -Relic- was from Team Axis, it must want it because it'll be able to retrieve their operative...who's still far from recuperating, by the way. If it WASN'T from Team Axis...it must be because it wants to gain more power by stealing a more powerful -Sigil-..."

"He'll not exactly start his own -Sigil- collection, or something, right? I mean, the -Sigils- and -Relics are supposed to be top military secrets," Takao said, recovering from Kai's insult barrage (^^;;).

"Could be some runaway faction of some sort," Kai replied. "My father isn't exactly that popular at the Ministry of Defense nowadays, partly because Daitenji-kacho still refuses to hand the Kagekidan over to him just yet. And partly because he's a miserable old bastard. He's as evil as a Ministry puppet can go. There are some powerful people who support him, and still there are others who don't. I'm betting it's a faction who knows the Kagekidan's secrets inside and outside. And they're out to get us for just being in the way."

"~~~~" SD Takao turned into an angry inflated Jigglypuff. "Damn. Why the heck have they thought of appearing just NOW after a relatively smooth, hassle-free hell week and just BEFORE the gala itself?!"

"Well, it's the way their minds work, Takao-_senpai_. It's a good thing that the Heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne himself didn't pull out of our opening gala tonight." Kenichiro blinked. "Haven't you realized this is just totally ODD?" 

"..." Yuri had become quiet.

"I just don't get it." Max blinked. "Whoever its pilot is, why would he still want to get a -Sigil-? -Sigils- and -Relics- aren't that much alike. -Sigils- are more suited for close combat dueling than for aether casting. And besides, have you seen the controls of Miss Althaea's -Relic-? Mom finally managed to tame those -Seraphim- guarding the -Relic-. And GOD I think the pilot controls the -Relic- from that wicked chain-trap device in that cockpit."

"Just put it this way. Imagine if there was somebody out there who has already joined both -Sigil- and -Relic- principles...don't you think that's a little too scary?" Kenichiro told Max.

"Yes, VERY scary." Takao shuddered. "Just think. He'd be able to fight and CAST powerful aether attacks at the same TIME!"

"..." Kai looked up from eating his sandwich. "2 perfect examples to that would be Edelweiss and Falcrest. They ARE the -Limiters-...in order to bring about the balance between the -Sigils- and -Relics-, they were accorded powers almost equal to God himself. And they were created in order to subdue and defeat Oblivion if it should come to it. If all the -Sigils- and -Relics- were accorded with that kind of power, then our world would vaporize in an instant." 

"I sure hope it won't come to that." SD Max held his egg salad sandwich on rye to his mouth, grinning cutely (think a Mokona GRIN! ^o^). "Well, no use moping over it. Here's to a perfect GALA~~~" 

**BBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM~~~!!!**

The explosion came so suddenly the 6 young pilots almost fell off their chairs in surprise. Kenichiro's eyes were wide. "What the heck was THAT?!"

Several Kagekidan personnel ran towards the huge glass windows of the dining room, some of them pointing towards a billowing cloud of smoke in the distance. The shrill cacophony of sirens added to the growing tension within the building. 

"No, not another..." 

"When will those Team Axis operatives ever learn?" 

"Damn it, not on gala night..." 

"Oh, just when I was JUST getting into my Faerie Trooper act..." SD Max mumbled, looking helplessly cute biting on the edge of his sandwich as he looked out of the other window along with Kenichiro, Takao, Lei, and Takao. Takao turned murderous SD. 

"And NOW they decided to GATE CRASH~~~!!!" SD Takao was waving his arms over his head very frantically. "OOOOOoooooHHHHhhhhh why don't they just quit it ALREADY~~~~?!" 

Kenichiro's eyes turned into little beads. "That's...not where I think that EXPLOSION is...or is it...?" 

"!!!" SD Max pushed SD Kenichiro out of the way a little, his eyes wide. He then pointed at it, his entire body shaking in rage. "THAT'S IT~~~!!! NOW THEY'VE COME TOO FAR~~~!!! THAT'S THE HANGAR~~~!!! HAVEN'T THEY HAD ENOUGH ALMOST TURNING DRACIEL INTO SCRAP METAL ALREADY~~~?! I SPENT AN ENTIRE DAY WAXING HIS ARMOR BY MEANS OF **KAI'S** **TOOTHBRUSH**~~~!!!"

All of them turned SD. Several stray hairs stuck out of SD Lei's coiffure, accompanied by a huge sweatdrop. He looked like an amiable cat. "Errh...MAX..." 

SD Kai started to twitch. "So THAT was where MY toothbrush had gone to..."

SD Lei sprouted black striped white cat ears as he turned to look at SD Kai, who by now had sprouted several gargantuan twitches. "K-Kai..."

The double doors to the dining room opened, and Dr. Mizuhara came running in, who paused to lean over and catch her breath. She then swiped her arm. "IVANOV~~~!!! KON~~~!!! Suit UP~~~!!! If we don't stop that rampage, the entire complex would undoubtedly all fall down our heads---we have to stop that thing at all COSTS~~~!!!" 

"H-huh...? Y-yes, Dr. Mizuhara..." Lei answered, blinking. 

The 2 pilots burst out of the dining room, even as many of the Kagekidan personnel were beside themselves with terror. Dr. Mizuhara was quiet even as SD Max and SD Kai were arguing in the background. 

***_What are they thinking, so brazen of them to come right now, even as the Heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne has honored us with his presence...?_*** Dr. Mizuhara's bright blue eyes narrowed. ***_Be alive, Yuri, Lei...!_*** 

There were flashes of red light, even as the siren went off down the hallways leading to the hangar. 

***_DAMMIT, where the hell did this thing come FROM~~~?!_*** 

"CODE KAMI~~~!!! CODE KAMI~~~!!! All personnel to your BATTLE STATIONS~~~!!! I REPEAT~~~!!! CODE KAMI~~~!!!" 

***_..._*** There was a camera shot of the lower portion of the face. The lips were curved in a languid smile. ***_**Baka**._*** 

"We mustn't let them go near the -Sigils- at all costs, she says," Yuri was gasping, even as they ran down the corridors, their dinner jostling all around their stomachs as they did so. "Any ideas...?" 

***_Kai..._*** Max's bright blue eyes became wide. ***_BEHIND YOU~~~!!!_*** 

"I haven't," Lei replied, gasping. "We could try shoving them off from the hangar, for one." 

***_~~~?!_*** There was a really frightening screech of torn metal. ***_**GGGGGUUUUWAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH~~~!!!**_*** 

"That'd be fun." Yuri gave a lopsided grin. "Except I don't think those bastards would be ceremoniously unequipped for their gate crashing." 

***_Shitsurei._*** There was another camera shot of the lower portion of a face, this time around, the speaker was smiling in a mild manner. ***_It sure seems that even I do not know my own strength..._*** 

"Of course. That would be most improper and VERY rude." Lei nodded, his cloth-bound jet-black pigtail bobbing behind him as he did so. "Then you'll just have to blow them off before they decide to run off with the -Limiters-." 

***_KIIIISSSSAAAAMMMMAAAA~~~!!!_*** Dranzer flared up, even as his 2 _katana_ burst into flame. *****_MOERU~~~!!! AKAI SHINPUUGA~~~!!!_***** 

They now reached the hall of portraits. Yuri grinned even wider. "Heh, let's see them bow down to my -Eidolon Sniping-~~~!!! Let's show them, Lei!" 

The furious attack was repelled by a white barrier. Camera shot, side profile, lower portion of the face. ***_SUGOI~~~!!! Ne, Setsuna, will you teach me THAT~~~?!_*** 

"Right with you." Lei's golden amber eyes flashed. "They're going to regret the day they've messed with the Kagekidan!"

"Don't let them near the hangar~~~!!! Protect it at all costs~~~!!!" Souichi Oda gritted his teeth even as he ordered his men to fire. "Dammit, why the hell are they so adamant in winning back that -Relic-~~~?!"

"..." Camera shot, lower portion of the face. "This is such a pity. No women around to even rid me of my boredom having to look at all of you for the last 36 hours. Where is the justice in this world?"

"The only woman I know who's fitted for your perverted taste is locked inside that complex," his companion told him, shaking his head. "Even if she is, you're not supposed to touch her. We've strict orders from the Order not to touch her, or even let a strand of her hair fall off from her carefully-arranged coiffure. Or have you forgotten?"

"_Baka_, how the HELL are we supposed to rescue her from that evil prison if we're not supposed to TOUCH her~~~?!"

"The orders from the ORDER only involve your EVIL HANDS defiling her PURITY~~~!!!"

"My hands are EVIL and yours are NOT~~~?! Those HANDS have groped MORE than what they should have GROPED for the rest of all ETERNITY~~~~!!!"

"You perverted maniac, I haven't groped anything less than those _nikuman_ I had for BREAKFAST~~~!!! No wonder they were very adamant in lopping your HANDS off~~~!!!"

SD Heirschell's forehead exhibited little spasms. "Say WHAT, you stupid monkey~~~?!"

SD Gransol clenched its fists. "Who you calling 'stupid monkey', you PERVERT~~~?!" 

SD Branueil twitched, a very black aura about its head. "_**OI**_."

SD Fimbrethil tried to pacify SD Branueil, who by now was clutching its aether pistol. "_Maa_, _maa_, don't get too angry, Yusaku..." 

A ringing gunshot was heard, as a light blue aether bullet went a hair's breadth through them and disappeared into the darkness beyond. Wolfborg was aiming its aether magnum at them. "Have you idiots finished talking already, or do you all want to breathe from your foreheads...? Come on, we have a play to catch, and I'm pretty sure King Oberon wouldn't want to wait for his Queen now, would you? I'm telling you, it's a BAD thing to be at the receiving end of those nasty flaming _katana_ blades, as you all well ought to know."

"Wow...super-stupid STRENGTH~~~!!!" SD Gransol pointed at Wolfborg. "_Ne_, Yusaku, he could snipe, too! Can I go play with him?"

"..." Branueil looked over at Wolfborg, still casually clutching the aether pistol. "Listen here, you brat, we're here for 'Lilith'. Give the -Limiter- and the girl to us, then we assure you, we won't bother you again. Is that a deal?"

"Who are you working for, and what business do you have with the -Limiter- and the girl you seek?" Yuri's eyes narrowed. 

"Don't make me repeat it a second time." Branueil just continued looking at him. "Or is it too much for your miniscule brain to handle? Our orders are plain and simple, and I highly doubt if a moron like you would be able to stop us. Even if you could SNIPE."

"..." Yuri was just quiet. ***_They're pretty strong, and they're NOT from Team Axis. Who are they...?_***

"You have no business with 'Lilith', and you have no business with the -Limiter-. Why the hell are you still holding her prisoner?" Branueil pointed its aether pistol at him. "Or is it that you're too pigheaded to admit you're all DONE for?"

***_I've a feeling they'll ALL be back, and this time around, they're all going to do their errand right,_*** Max was telling him as he lay there on his hospital bed, surviving that horrendous ordeal with just a scratch on his forehead. ***_And when they do, we won't be able to do something to stop them._***

"It's easy to see that you're not working for us," Yuri replied. "And we have no business holding 'Lilith' or the -Limiter-, either. But you're trespassing on Kagekidan property, and it's my job to protect the Imperial Capital, the Heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne, and the Japanese people. I won't let you get away with harming any of them, again."

The speaker's slanted purple eyes narrowed. "Why don't you spare me that crap and just shut up already...?"

***_Draciel, Dranzer, Dragoon crippled. In a matter of 15 seconds. SHIT~~~!!!_***

"Time's up. Game over." Branueil's middle and index fingers (^^;;) started tightening about the trigger. "Don't say I didn't warn you." 

It happened so fast. Just before Branueil could pull the trigger, a flash came from the darkness to his right, and Gransol only had enough time to turn towards that direction, its pilot's mouth agape.

"YU-SA-KU~~~!!!" Gransol pointed. "Beside YOU~~~!!!"

"...?" Branueil looked slowly to its right.

"You're not going ANYWHERE~~~!!!" Lei's golden amber eyes flashed. "_**SANKUUGA~~~!!!**_" 

There were 3 flashes of white light. Branueil just stepped out of the way, avoiding the 3 deadly slices of Driger's extended chi claws. Lei's eyes became wide and unseeing, his background becoming very black. ***_Na_..._NANI~~~?_!***

"Heh, I almost didn't see him COMING~~~!!!" Gransol's pilot grinned. "Pretty fast reflexes, though. Is he one of the latest models?"

"Shut up, you stupid monkey, and just ACT~~~!" Heirschell got its double lance (^^;; think Zidane's double ended thief swords) and prepared to attack. "INCOMING~~~!!!"

Wolfborg let out a volley of gunshots from his aether magnum towards their direction, to which Heirschell deflected the aether bullets out of the way, before leaping towards him and attacking him head-on. "A sniper's useless for close combat. Or haven't they taught you THAT in Kagekidan Academy? Let's see a master close-up combat duelist in ACTION~~~!!!" The double lance's blades glowed a fiery red. "**_SOUENKEN~~~!!!_**"

"~~~!!!" Yuri's eyes widened, managing to parry Heirschell's attacks with his aether magnum, to which several sparks flew from contact. He gritted his teeth as he tried to hold him back. "Damn it..." Wolfborg's right hand glowed a faint blue.

"_**FENRIL~~~!!!**_"

A sword with a glowing faint blue ice blade, its hilt made of a silvery metal and entwined by lots of intricate swirling patterns, materialized from that glow. Wolfborg dropped its aether magnum on the ground and swiped at a very surprised Heirschell.

"What the..."

"YURI~~~!!!" Lei calls out frantically. Branueil's pilot's slanted purple eyes flashed. "**_Oi_**. Your opponent is ME." 

Branueil fired 3 shots in succession, Driger only managing to dodge them without being able to react. The purple-eyed pilot was surprised.

***_He couldn't have been able to SEE them coming...?_***

Branueil fired another 6 shots, and the last aether bullet managed to graze Driger's left shoulder plate as it turned to dodge. Lei grimaced, wondering what it was, then turned to look at his left arm, which was now trickling with blood coming straight from Driger's left shoulder plate "wound". His eyes became wide. "What...what in the WORLD~~~"

Fimbrethil produced a pale green orb of light in its hands. "Daichi, why don't you go help Yusaku?"

"Eh, he'd just blow my head off," Gransol replied.

"He'll blow your head OFF if you don't, you stupid monkey," Heirschell said, exchanging blows with Wolfborg.

SD Gransol waved its arms over at Heirschell frantically, several gargantuan twitches on his head. "You are NOT qualified to call me MONKEY~~~!!!"

"Whatever."

"..." Fimbrethil's pilot had his eyes closed happily. "Now, now, children, don't go arguing among yourselves..."

"HE keeps calling me stupid monkey, that perverted sex MANIAC~~~!!!" 

"Which is just the perfect name for you, you simian CRETIN~~~!!!"

"HEY~~~!!!"

"I guess it can't be helped." Fimbrethil held the pale green orb of light aloft in its hands. "I am really sorry about this, but we really ARE beating a deadline. Let's have tea some other time, _ne_?"

It hurled the orb of light towards Wolfborg. "Tatsuhiko-_SAN_~~~!!!"

"_Hai_!" Heirschell broke off his swordplay with Wolfborg, who staggered back from the suddenness of his movement. "Sorry about this. We really HAVE to get to our mission objective. Nice swordplay you've got there, though. See you 6 feet underground, boy."

"_Ch..._" Yuri's eyes became wide, as the pale green orb projectile headed straight for him, and all he could do was just raise his arms in order to defend himself. Is this the end...?

There was a sudden brilliant pink flash of light.

"Oh NO you DON'T~~~!!! Galux, _** MIDARE ENBUKYOKU~~~!!!**_"

There was a loud roar, as a full moon with an autumn maple backdrop appeared, with a series of pink slashes of light to the very colorful furiously falling maple leaves (orange, red, gold, dark brown, dark pink); as a huge spectral pink _yamaneko_ with trailing gold and red willowy face feathers (^^;;), black-ringed orange spots and ornate gold and red shoulder/paw armor slashed through a very surprised Heirschell, who didn't see it coming. Heirschell's double lance flew off and landed with a heavy thud a few good meters away. The falling maple leaves all blew about them in a flurry. 

"_Na_..._NANDA_~~~?!"

"What the HELL~~~?!" SD Gransol looked around. "Where the hell did that come FROM~~~?!"

Fimbrethil looked up the sky. "_Mite_..."

The full moon suddenly broke through the clouds, illuminating the mayhem that was going on all around them. Then there was a tiny golden flash of light, and a pink, gold, and red blur shot out from the sky and alighted in front of Wolfborg, scattering spectral maple leaves in a flurry.

"..." The newcomer held its right hand out to meet the projectile, to which it created a soft pink light with its hand. "_**Ikke~~~!!! SEIKOUHA~~~!!!**_"

A huge barrier was created, from gradations of pink to lightest pink at the farthest side of the shell of light, and it met the projectile tossed by Fimbrethil. There were several curling tendrils of electricity as the 2 chi radiances met halfway, to which the projectile dissipated completely. The Fimbrethil pilot's deep green eyes became wide, surprised as he was at the turn of events. "_Nani...?_"

The spectral _yamaneko_ gave another loud roar as it settled right beside the newcomer -Sigil-, which swiped its right arm in one quick motion, the shell of light disappearing so, within a flurry of the same spectral maple leaves. "I don't know who the hell you are, but you certainly can't waltz right into the Kagekidan without formal invitation! I'm warning you, take one step closer and Galux would be more than happy enough to bite your head off!" 

"And I don't know who the HELL you are, and you have no business butting into OUR business!" Heirschell clenched its fists. "As far as I could recall nobody's asked you to cut IN~~~!!!" 

"Mao Kon, Cadet First Class, -Sigil- pilot, handler of the -Raging Earth- Galux! I'm basically here to kick you on your butts from here to the Moon." SD Galux nodded. "Heh heh heh, how I've SOO longed to say that." 

Lei was blinking as he looked at where SD Galux stood. "Mao...?"

"_Yoshi_! You're ALL going DOWN~~~!!!" SD Galux shot one closed fist into the air. "Nobody messes my brother's curtain call just because you FELT like it! Nobody, I say, NOBODY~~~!!!" 

There was a few seconds worth of silence as all mechs on the battlefield turned SD with huge sweatdrops over their heads, with the exception of SD Branueil, which had a pulsating gargantuan twitch and a VERY huge black aura instead. Several dead leaves and tumbleweeds rolled past. "**_U-R-U-S-A-I..._**" 

The Fimbrethil pilot's eyeglasses became foggy as he held his index finger to his cheek (you get the idea....^^;;). "_Maa_...I've never seen anybody SO high-spirited and SO energetic, _ne_, Yusaku? And such flawless execution of technique, if I do say so myself."

SD Gransol turned to look at SD Fimbrethil with a very huge question mark on top of its head. "_En_? What's so flawless about it, Setsuna...?"

"It means she was able to block Setsuna's projectile without much FUSS, you stupid MONKEY~~~!!!" SD Heirschell growled, hitting SD Gransol squarely on the head with its closed fist. "Honestly if you weren't sleeping and eating all DAY you useless idiot you'd have MORE brains than AIR left inside that skull of YOURS~~~!!!"

"..." SD Yuri's eyes were little beads. "A little too overprotective perhaps, Lei...?"

"~~~" SD Lei had turned into an amiable chibi neko, stray hairs sticking out of his coiffure.

"HEY~~~~!!! I'm talking to ALL of YOU~~~!!!" SD Galux pointed to all of them, its hand on its hip (OO;; don't ask me why). "Who wants to get crippled FIRST?! What you did was VERY UNFORGIVABLE~~~!!! You ought to get MANGLED~~~!!! You ought to get turned into JUNK SCRAP~~~!!! You ought to GET~~~" 

"**_OI._**" SD Branueil held its aether pistol, its pulsating gargantuan twitch starting to divide into numerous smaller ones on top of its head. "Do you want to breathe from your forehead that BAD?"

"No I don't, and NO you WON'T!" SD Galux was still pointing at them. "You'll regret patronizing me you hotheaded tin can, I'm more dangerous than I LOOK!" 

"_Hn_. Saw through you, you brat." Quick as lightning, Branueil aimed its aether pistol at Galux, its pilot's slanted purple eyes narrowed. "_Korosu_." 

A hail of white aether bullets streaked through the air headed towards Galux, faster than one can think. Lei's eyes became wide. "MAO~~~!!!"

"..." Mao Kon blinked, then her mouth curved into a smile as she watched the bullets come towards her. "I told you not to patronize me, didn't I? I'm NOT that EASY~~~!!!"

There was another series of flashing pink light, deflecting the bullets, and what it was became clear enough when Galux struck a defensive stance. It held 2 huge rings in its hands, glowing light pink with Mao's chi (think June's weapon from Star Gladiator).

"..." The Fimbrethil's pilot was quiet. ***_Kadomony_...***

Galux looked over at Wolfborg. "Sniper, unseal the -Eidolon Bullets- while I go kick him down! QUICKLY~~~!!!" 

"Yes..."

"Not if I can help IT~~~!!!" Gransol raised its hands into the air, to which a staff materialized, glowing bright gold from its pilot's own chi. He then grinned. "_Ikuze_, Gransol FIRE~~~!!!"

A ring of golden flames appeared right in front of Gransol, to which a huge flaming spectral horned wolf leapt forth (Rayearth-esque), howling under a fiery red moon. It glared right at Galux, its many fangs bared.

"Heh, _kawaisou_!" Galux lightly leapt up. "Let's see if you can handle fighting girls in close combat! Galux, cream HIM~~~!!!" 

The spectral _yamaneko_ roared, then shot towards the horned wolf, its fangs and its claws bared, the swirling maple leaves scattering behind its wake.

Galux hurled the rings towards Gransol. "**_Ikke~~~!!! SOUKOUHA~~~!!!_**"

"Heh heh, _**SUGOI**_~~~!!!" Gransol brandished its staff. "Come and get me and hell PRAY you don't get BURNED~~~!!!"

There was an explosion as the 2 weapons' attacks collided. Galux and Gransol met halfway and leapt at each other, fangs and claws slicing through. 

Fimbrethil held its hand to its visor (^^;;). "_Aa_, what a devastating combination attack! Never thought the Kagekidan cadets had it in them all along!"

"Save your praises for later, Setsuna, we have to STOP that Eidolon Sniper." Heirschell held out its hand. "Come on out and let it ALL rip, Heirschell! **_GRAN NOVA~~~!!!_**" 

A ring of swirling winds appeared before Heirschell, to which a huge spectral eagle soared forth, screeching for all its worth. It shot like a bullet towards Wolfborg, which had its aether magnum held forth, an ominous black aura emanating from the gun barrel (OO;; uh, its...SNOUT?!), aiming for the sky. 

"YURI~~~!!!" Lei calls out again. Driger prepared to come to Wolfborg's aid, but Branueil was just too fast. It had the aether pistol directly aimed at Driger's head point blank before it could even move.

Close-up shot of the Branueil pilot's slanted purple eyes, narrowed. "Checkmate."

Lei's eyes became wide and unseeing. ***_Shimatta_...***

"~~~!!!" Mao's eyes became wide. "LEI~~~!!!"

A series of pictures moved in Lei's mind, moving so fast like a very fast 8 mm picture.

_Plink._

*^*_Power...?_*^*

An abandoned tower.

_Plink._

*^*_Do you desire power...?_*^*

Shattered glass.

_Plink._

*^*_Then so be it...!_*^*

_Wires-faces-crosses-wings-darkness-shards-broken windows-voices-meadows-scythes-bullets-blades-cries-screams-**LIGHT**-_

"~~~~!!!" Lei held his hands to his head. Pain...so much PAIN~~~!!!

The -Raziel Tree- appeared beneath Driger, glaring brightly with a blinding white light, as the sudden upsurge of aether threw all of them down in one grand sweep.

"**GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH~~~!!!**"

Kai, Max, Takao, Kenichi, Dr. Mizuhara, Daitenji-kacho, and Mr. Hiwatari all looked up at that precise instant all hell broke loose.

Dr. Mizuhara's coffee cup fell from her hands and shattered on the floor with a resounding crash.

She looked over at Daitenji-kacho, who was monitoring the entire battle from the control room deep within the Kagekidan as she was also, and saw something in each other's eyes they were afraid to recognize but understood.

No.

It was what they had feared.

And in his hospital room, Asato's eyes were narrowed with rage.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** PHEW! Glad that's over. Quite lengthy, yup, I'm planning to upload back to back chappies on this one. What do you think? ^^;; You really don't need to guess who those mysterious pilots are. The plot gets even more convoluted. Somebody help ME~~~!!! 

Easy Japanese Ver. 2:

**_Oi_** = Hey.

**_Maa, maa_** = Now, now.

_**Sankuuga**_ = Three-Heaven/Sky-Fang

**_Souenken_** = Double-Flaming-Sword

**_Midare Enbukyoku_** = Chaos-Waltz

**_Seikouha_** = Sacred-Light-Wave

**_Ikke_** = Go!

**_Yoshi!_** (sounds like "yosh") = Alright!

_**Sugoi!**_ = Great!

**_Soukouha_** = Double-Light-Wave

_**Korosu**_ = Kill

**_Ikuze!_** = Another version of "Go!"

**_Shimatta_** = Damn.

_**Kisama**_ = Bastard

_**Nikuman**_ = Stuffed pork bun

_**Urusai**_ = Shut up.

Fimbrethil (OO;; no it's not Japanese, I think it's Elvish or Entish...I stand corrected here!) = Name of the most beautiful Entwife of all (LOTR) as

said by Treebeard; name means "slender willow bough"


	16. Transience

Transience

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: ** That was quite a really confusing chappie, but everything would be cleared up in this one. Who are those pilots? What's Kadomony? What's this and what's that? Is Lei the heir of Oblivion...? Or rather...is Lei Oblivion himself...? As that coffee ad goes, one thing leads to another. And this most certainly does. Meet the newest member of the Kagekidan: MAO~~~!!! ^.^

**DISCLAIMER: ** I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, Asato Tsuzuki + 12 original -Shikigami-, and Gensomaden Saiyuki (^^;; the personalities, I mean; they've got different names in here but same personalities) as they're all owned by their respective authors. I own the OC's and some terminologies, though; so NO SUING~~~!!! 

Mao

**Name:** Kon, Mao

**Country of Origin:** China

**Nationality:** Chinese

**Birthplace:** Unknown, rumored to be the famed White Tiger Village

**Age: **15

**Height:** 163 cm

**Weight:** 43 kg

**Blood Type:** AB

**Birthday:** June 17

**Skills:** Martial Arts, Chi Radiance (Kadomony) 

**PRN:** 0020 - 005 - 000

**EP:** 202

**APR:** 100%

**Test Results:** 100%

COMMENTS:

**Recommended for transfer to 35th Imperial Capital Defense Headquarters. Training for Elite Kagekidan Branch approved. For immediate action.**

Signed,

Judy Mizuhara

Head Instructor

Imperial Capital Defense Satellite Headquarters

KYOUTO 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_______

**IMPERIAL CAPITAL DEFENSE HEADQUARTERS - DEPARTMENT OF PARA-PSYCHIC RESEARCH**

**SUBJECT:** Kon, Mao

**DATE:** 08 -26-1915

**EXAMINER:** Dr. Masao Kinogu

_Subject in question has a very unusual aether tolerance. Could perform Kadomony at will due to high aether synch. Excellent use of the Kyrieans Principle. Awaiting further instructions._

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was tremendous applause as the curtains lifted prior to the gala performance, even as the theater goers were surprised and curious to see that the Emperor himself was there. Amidst the many whispered conversations, the Heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne was impassive, and the Imperial Guards were all put in place to ensure the Emperor's safety and privacy by means of their very tight security.

"..." The curtain to the box seat rustled, and an old man came forth, dressed as he was to the hilt in the manner of the strictest Imperial code of dress.

"Well...? Has the problem been addressed...?" another man inquired softly, seated as he was right behind the young Emperor. Only his silhouette was seen.

"Yes, Lord Barron. It had been as you wished."

"No, it had been as the Emperor had wished, you are forgetting yourself," the man admonished him quietly. "I am only expressing His Imperial Highness's wishes and not much else."

"Oh, excuse me, my lord...I have forgotten myself..."

"No matter. It is of no importance to me. I am just happy nothing 'extreme' happened that greatly endangered His Imperial Highness's safety...although those monstrous brutes of the Kagekidan almost ruined it for him. His enjoyment, I mean." The man sighed delicately. "I still do not see why those old balding fogies insist on keeping 'that' unit alive, as to what I have heard...they almost burned the entire Imperial Capital to the ground." 

"Well...they had been around ever since the start of the _bakufu_..."

"As the Emperor's elite unit of bodyguards, yes, I have heard. It is just only now that they formalized themselves into a separate unit...and...if I am so permitted to say as such...internal conflict has driven the traditionalists from the liberalists and so the most loyal liberalists of the lot banded together and created what it is today. A farcical 'saving face', is that what you call it...? But in truth, they just want to have a go at their faded glory and had remained as stubborn as ever clinging to their own muddled pasts." The man held his hand out. "Elite guards in name only, while the Imperial Guards are the ACTUAL ones who are doing their dirty work. And those traditionalists are fighting over what little is it that remained of those 'puppet strings' of power. It's pathetic. They're even worse than a bunch of scraggly mutts fighting over those last remaining morsels of meat. 

"M-my lord..." 

"Excuse me, I have said too much." The man returned his attention back to the play, where Puck was now delivering his opening lines. "I really don't understand it. But those liberalists are enjoying those 'toys' and have the entire country in uproar. Everybody wants to get a piece of them, now they've seen what they can do. The Ministry of Defense's itching to take over it a few days from now...and you know what the sad part about it is? They're helped by one of them, a former 'soldier'."

"...as you say..."

"Things are going to get interesting from this point on. All the pieces are in place, and it needs some 'players' in order to make the 'game' start." The man turned his head slightly to one side. "Could you please be a dear and get His Imperial Highness and I some tea and _wagashi_...? I've quite a liking to your green tea...really invigorating."

The old man slightly bowed. He then left the box seat with the slightest rustle.

"Lord Barron..." 

The man turned to look at the Emperor up front. The Heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne was looking at the stage very eagerly.

"Yes, Imperial Highness...?"

"I have never seen anything quite like it." The 10 year-old ruler was softly clapping his hands together in glee. "This would be the first time I shall see the one of the Bard's works translated into a musical play, and I like what I see." 

"Yes. To see a theater group translating the Bard's works so beautifully surely brings tears to your eyes and mine. It is most unusual to see a Japanese group of performers acting out a Westerner's work with such grace and such eloquence. Translated into your own language, at that. It impresses me." 

"Does it, Lord Barron...? Oh, how I wish I could go down there and congratulate them over and over again! But proper decorum dictates that I should remain as 'divine' as ever, and never allow myself such frivolities. And there are times I find myself wishing that it is not the case." The young Emperor sighed sadly. "Alas, this would be the only time I would be allowed outside the palace walls." 

"Does His Imperial Highness wish to see more of Shakespeare's plays...?"

"Oh, I should like to. But Soueda-san wishes me to learn more of our culture, and less of the outside world. But...it's not that I do not want to learn more of our beautiful country...I wish to see more of outside, so I could understand your culture and appreciate its many intricacies. I am to rule Japan, if so, I want it by a very open-minded mind." 

"Open-minded mind, Imperial Highness. It does sound so redundant, yes...?"

"Oh." The young Emperor blinked. "Yes. It should be...open-minded only." 

"Yes. His Imperial Highness is very wise."

"Your language is unusual and so simple I find myself at a loss expressing myself fully in it. You have said so that our language is too intricate and too difficult to understand. But I see that you are coping with it quite gracefully...I have not heard any foreign dignitary who could talk our language with such eloquence and such grace such as you."

The man bowed slightly. "You do me too much honor by saying such, Imperial Highness. I am most overwhelmed."

"I am saying the truth." The young Emperor looked over at the stage, to which Puck was bounding across the stage in great leaps (OO;;). He smiled slightly. "It is pretty hard to believe that the actors on stage are almost as young as I am. And even harder to believe that they're part of the Imperial Guard Unit my father has talked so much about." 

"Yes. The legendary Kagekidan."

The curtain slightly rustled again, to which the old man reappeared, bearing a tray of the ubiquitous _chawan_ and the small teapot, and a small platter on which the delicately made _wagashi,_ shaped into delicate chrysanthemum blossoms, were put. 

"Ah, it is such a sin to eat these." The man nodded. "Well then. Shall we take a break, Your Imperial Highness...?" 

There was much activity going on backstage as all the stage hands scuttled to and fro getting the sets and the costumes and the props all ready, and a flurry of activity as all the thespians read and reread their scripts, and made sure that their costumes were snug in the right places as to allow them easy movement.

Kai was quiet as he stood their memorizing his lines, going through them over and over again, as he waited for his cue. Lei stood right beside him, his bangs throwing his face into shadow, leaning back against the wall as far as his Faerie Queen gown would allow.

"It could have been worse. Don't let it get to you." Kai looked right in front of him. "It's not the first time something like 'that' happened."

"..." Lei bowed his head, his bangs still throwing his eyes into shadow. "I..."

"You should feel lucky. There is somebody who was unfortunate enough to come out of it scarred forever." Kai then looked up at the ceiling, his face in side profile, his red brown eyes thoughtful. "You should be thankful you're alive."

"_Demo_..." Lei still had his head bowed, his bangs still throwing his eyes into shadow. "Kai...I almost...killed them..."

"_Dame_." Kai looked at his script again. "Stop berating yourself. You'd only feel worse."

"I..."

"Quit blaming yourself. This is not the place for such matters." 

Lei's hands clenched tightly about his own script. "I know, Kai...but I can't help it...what if I wasn't able to do 'that'...you could've all been surely..."

"I said stop it, didn't I, Kon...? No use blaming yourself silly over that, or anything or anyone else, for that matter. It has happened already." Kai looked at him from the corner of his eye. "It was a good thing Yuri was able to summon -Sigismund- or else those psychos could've blown the entire Kagekidan down around our ears. That, and the fact that you've turned into---" 

_***A huge scarlet, cream, gold, and sky blue mech with 6 thruster "wings" upon its back appeared before Branueil, a burst of its spectral purest white "feathers" swirling about it in a flurry, and Lei in its cockpit, his gold amber eyes glazed over and narrowed to slits, cold and unforgiving it was; the glare of death_***

"---'him'."

There was scattered laughter coming from outside as Takao did his role with much aplomb and delivered his lines with as much wit and humor as he could possibly inject into it. He and Max were bickering about something. It was not soon after when Yuri joined the fray. 

"..." Lei's slanted gold amber eyes were sadly expressive (^____^;;), as he leaned against the wall like so, his bangs falling so nicely over his face, his arched jet black brows drawn together in a pained gesture. 

"Listen." Kai was still looking at him from the corner of his eye. "I may be the world's most evil 15 year-old, with a track record to prove it, but I can assure you one thing. No matter what should come out of this, I'm not the first one to jump ship on you. Nor the entire team. Remember that." Kai then put down his script on the table beside him as one of the stage hands gestured for him for his cue and Lei's. He looked over at Lei. "_Ikuzo_." 

"K-Kai..." Lei's eyes became expressive. "I..."

"_Nandemonai_." Kai adjusted his costume. "Our subjects have need of us. Let us hasten before they decide to bring our entire kingdom down to ruin."

"..." Lei gave a small tired smile. "_Hai_."

Mao was watching from the sidelines, and she was as every bit worried about her older twin brother as with the rest of the troupe, but as the cruel saying says, the show must go on, no matter what happens, exploding -Sigils- and threats of world annihilation be damned. Her new teammates were all dead pale when they got back to the Kagekidan, and Lei was even worse. It was just his sheer willpower that was making him take the stage right now and which held himself together; the aether surge he just performed, which was a brilliant awakening of his Rave prowess, was brain melting, to say the least. The strain was just so much as to make your own brain fry in its juices. But there was no other available actor, and this was gala night. He would have to hold himself together at least until this show is over, before he would be promptly taken to the hospital ward. 

There were footsteps, and soon Dr. Mizuhara appeared from the shadows of the hallway beyond. "Miss Kon...?"

"?" Mao blinked, then turned to face Dr. Mizuhara. She then offered a crisp salute. "Mao Kon, Cadet First Class!"

"At ease. There's no need for formality this night...fraught as it is with horrors unimaginable." Dr. Mizuhara looked over the stage beneath them, standing as they both were in the hallways above it. "They're coping quite nicely. Who wouldn't have thought we were all in danger of being blasted into orbit just a while ago...? Your timing could never had been more perfect. We were expecting you for not another 2 more days."

"The orders from the higher-ups never sounded more urgent. Besides, I had been very eagerly waiting for the chance for me to sail out of Hong Kong and surprise my brother. I haven't seen him for quite some time now."

"I see." Dr. Mizuhara nodded. "So how is General Ling...?"

"Still as sprightly as always. He wanted to come, but he had some business to attend to in the British Consulate. It was Mama who saw me off at the harbor...she came all the way from the White Tiger Village. She still disapproved of my 'wild' choice to journey out of our village to become a soldier, but...as you can see, ma'am, I'm standing here right in front of you." Mao nodded. "I may not be as talented as Lei is, but I could sure do a mean hula if you want me to." 

Dr. Mizuhara laughed lightly. "We may have need of your hula skills yet. As you know, your brother's just right on that stage because of his will. He should be collapsing from aether stress any second now...but he's still standing. It would be a very long while for him to recuperate and regain his full strength. Daitenji-kacho has made sure everything is ready for Lei at the ward as soon as the gale is over." 

"..." Mao then looked over at the stage, where she sees Lei seated among the many wildflowers of his Faerie kingdom, contemplating the lives of the mortals he sees to which he wants to make it even more interesting. "I could never be like him at all. He's so strong...just like Papa." 

"Do you honestly believe that your own skills amount to nothing, Mao...? Your aether induction rate is very high, in comparison with the other members of the team." Dr. Mizuhara nodded. "That, and because you could perform Kadomony."

"I know, Mizuhara-_hakase_, but...there are times when I feel what I do isn't enough. They haven't realized their true potential yet...what if I turn out to be a hindrance and a burden to the Kagekidan...?" Mao sighed. "Sometimes, I really feel as if I did something really wrong and Mama was right all along." 

"But what does your heart tell you, Mao...? It would be just blindness on your part if you totally refuse to believe that you are different from the other children in your village, both you and Lei. But it doesn't mean that if you're different, you'll cease to go on living normally. And feeling inferior to everybody else's own talents won't help you. You have your own strengths which are uniquely yours to command. It is for this reason why we created the Kagekidan...playing by everybody's strengths, covering each others' weaknesses...it's for working together that we would be able to face the challenges ahead without feeling left out in the rain. As you probably remember...we all thought the Imperial Capital Defense was shot, because of what happened with Asato Tsuzuki. We were all striving to prove ourselves in spite of the many labels and mudslinging we had to endure from the traditionalists...so we strove to move on, after that 'incident'...it was fortunate enough that we had the backing of Mr. Souichiro Hiwatari...and, here we are. It's not by doing what is enough...it is by doing so much more and exceed ourselves in order to bring about the best we've got. You made a right decision in doing so and following Lei here. Not all are given a chance to prove themselves, and you bravely went ahead and did it. I'm sure your father's going to be really proud of you."

"He was the broad-minded one. Mama was more bound traditionally, if you know what I mean, Mizuhara-_hakase_. She deems it OK for Lei to go out of the village to honor Papa's memory. But I also do so want to. Why would be hindered by my own gender and the circumstances of the culture I grew up in to stop pursuing a dream...? I wanted to help people, like Papa did, and I want to be strong as Lei." Mao's eyes became expressive. "Was it wrong to have chosen this instead...?" 

"I'm a mother too, Mao, and I could understand your mother's feelings. There are times I wanted Max to stop being a soldier like my husband and I am...but that would be endangering his individuality. It was his decision to become a -Sigil- pilot, and as long as he takes good care of himself, I wouldn't need to worry. But I worry about him all the time. You can't take that away." Dr. Mizuhara nodded again. "Your mother's just worried for the both of you, having lost her husband and your father to the cause he was fighting for, and now, you 2 have taken it in honoring his memory. And the circumstances by the way you were brought up would make things more complicated. But I'm pretty sure she'd understand it all one day. You're one strong girl, Mao. I'm sure you're as strong as Lei in that way." 

"How so, Mizuhara-_hakase_...?"

"You're both stubborn, strong-willed, and very dedicated. The Kagekidan would have no problems with you on board...in fact, they've gotten 10 times tougher." Dr. Mizuhara smiled at her warmly. "Have you brought all your things to your room...?"

"Yes, Mizuhara-_hakase_."

"Have you eaten...?"

"..." Mao blinked. "I just want to see how Lei would fare as Titania, then I'll head over to the dining room. What do you have for dinner...?"

"Fish rolls, clear soup and Chinese fried rice. Should I have the maids set it out for you...?"

"Oh, yes please." Mao smiled, her eyes closed happily. "Thanks, Mizuhara-_hakase_."

Dr. Mizuhara nodded again for the 3rd time then went off. Mao waited until Dr. Mizuhara went around the corner before she turned to look at where her twin was, having a rather animated discussion with his husband, Kai. Her eyes became expressive.

***_That didn't hurt much, or did it...?_***

Mao gave a happy little grin as she lay there on the hospital bed, her forehead swathed with bandages. She was a little girl of 11. It was just a few months after her father died, and here she was, under careful observation by one of the Imperial Capital Defense para-psyche experts. 

Dr. Masao Kinogu was looking over her files that particular morning, and it was the last time Mao and the rest of the other original members of the ICDC saw him before he disappeared completely. She remembered him being very listless that particular day, then.

***_...as I've expected. Fei's children have a very high indifference to pain, if I may say. Just like him._*** Dr. Kinogu closed the file folder with a snap. ***_Well. How is the medication coming on...?_***

***_Very fine, Kinogu-hakase, I've managed to project those thingies, as you've requested. Although Galux had a pretty rough time today so she...kind of...got angry at me._***

***_Kind of...? What did you mean by that, Mao...?_***

***_She particularly hated the patient residing in the next room, she was very listless and restless and pretty much everything else. She even tried getting out of synch with me once._***

***_She did? That's quite unheard of. Or has she acted this way prior to meeting that patient in the other room...?_***

Mao blinked. ***_No. Come to think of it...this is the first time she acted this way. She must've felt something bad about him._***

***_Him...? Did Galux tell you the patient's a 'he'...?_***

***_Yes. She absolutely hated him. Did he do something bad...?_***

Dr. Kinogu became very quiet. ***_Something like it._***

***_I see. I think he tried to do something bad again, and...well, you can see what happened._*** Mao gave a sheepish grin. ***_She was yowling like mad._***

***_..._*** Dr. Kinogu became very quiet again.

***_Can I see my brother...?_*** came Mao's soft voice.

***_Lei...?_*** Dr. Kinogu blinked. ***_I'm not sure...he's going to have his tests again._***

***_That's the 3rd time already. Why...did he do something bad as well...?_***

***_Not really. We're just trying to make sure about something._*** He then stood up and ruffled Mao's hair affectionately. ***_Go to sleep now, Mao. I'll be seeing you tomorrow._***

Mao never really knew what kinds of tests they subjected her brother to, but it had been so horrible as to make their mother erupt into hysterical tears and threatened to bring down the curses of all their ancestors upon all of those responsible. She knew that it had been very important, and Lei's ascension to his "real self" just a while ago was a revelation to what she feared. There was something about Lei that was really different. He was always gentle and kind, and he was a very protective and very responsible son and loving older brother to her. But aside from this, Mao knew that Lei hid a very terrible power within him, a power that even the entire Imperial Capital Defense feared. A power they all wanted. She was worried what would come out of this. 

Would she be that strong for Lei...?

The doors hissed open, and a cream-colored boot stepped out from within the darkness and walked down the dimly lighted hallway.

"_Maa_, why did we all leave in a hurry, Yusaku...? Just when things started to get REAL interesting, at THAT!" A young man followed suit, having red brown hair and golden eyes which were currently puzzled at the moment. "We had them right into our trap---"

"Would you just zip it for once, you stupid monkey, and THINK?! He almost had us all blown into smithereens a while ago and all you can say for yourself is that you missed out on having FUN," his companion retorted, his dark red hair glinting in the gloom, hitting the young man with a closed right fist. "Is eating and fighting all you can ever DO~~~?!" 

"_**IIIiiiiii-TTTTTttttttAAAAAAaaaaaIIIIIiiiii**_~~~!!! What was that you perverted sex maniac, you're NOT qualified to call me MONKEY~~~!!!"

"_**U-R-U-S-E-N-D-A-Y-O**_."

His other companion was smiling benevolently as he followed the first person up front. His eyes were closed happily. He had dark brown hair parted to one side. "_Maa_, _maa_ Yusaku, don't get your blood pressure on a rise, it won't do having a fit while we're reporting for the Nimrod..."

"_Ch_." The first person gave a small grimace, light glinting off his very light blond hair. "I really can't believe my damn luck, having to babysit those overgrown children..."

"But we can't blame them, they are rather a little bit on the juvenile department. Adam has entrusted them into our care."

"The question is, why ME of all PEOPLE?"

"_Aaa_, they are all high praises for the Sephardim's elite Captain of the Guard!"

"_Usotsuki_." The first person then exhibited several gargantuan twitches hearing the 2 other pilots still bickering like a bunch of 4 year-olds in the background, then turned to face them, his teeth jagged fangs. "_**URUSAI, OMAE GA KOROSENDAYO~~~!!!**_" he roared, firing 2 shots from his aether pistol point blank right in the very middle of the 2 opposing pilots, to which they became white as sheet.

"**GUUUUUWAAAAAAHHHHHH~~~**"

There was a sound of muffled laughter, to which all 4 pilots immediately stopped their antics and turned to see who it was. 

"Still as hotheaded as ever, _ne_, Yusaku-_kun_...? Your roar was heard from here up to the middle of the Pacific." The speaker appeared, stepping into the dim light hanging over the hallway. "Although your vocabulary as of late has not yet expanded from the ubiquitous _urusai_ all your other subordinates have been hearing from you since time immemorial." 

"Shut up you vile, old hag, unless you also want to get killed," the first person spoke in a really dangerous voice. "I'm having a bad day as it is already, sticking me up with these stupid idiots for the entire duration of the mission."

"So. How WAS the mission...?"

"Everything went perfectly well until that brat came along," the one beside the young man spoke up, becoming calm as the first person's volatile temper simmered down. "Shit, she could do Kadomony..."

"Spare me the vulgarity, Fujimiya, and tell me exactly WHAT happened."

"We were all ready to get Lilith when the Kagekidan came out to meet us," the young man then said, blinking. "They were as pigheaded as always, but there they were. We almost had it going until another -Sigil- comes roaring forth, and one of them did a spontaneous Rave." 

"No kidding...?"

"_Un_. It was more than Rave even...their -Eidolon Sniper- managed to summon forth a -Seal- and barely managed to contain the outburst. But wow...it was really AWESOME~~~!!! That guy's -Sigil- even changed." 

"_Hontou da_?"

"_Hai_." The one beside the first person became suddenly serious. "It was more than what we have bargained for. Aside from that Kadomony and that evolution, everything was perfectly normal."

"And you didn't get the target."

"Those idiots were more than willing enough to put all their lives on the line for the -Limiter-, risking it all for the sake of their 'enemy'." The first person then went down the hallway. "We still have to speak to the Nimrod." 

"..." The newcomer smiled knowingly. "Yusaku...?"

"Yes...?"

"When you do speak to the Nimrod, tell them you're ready to become a father." She gave a little wave as she went down the hallway the other way (^____^;; you get the idea). "_Ja_, _na_."

A gargantuan pulsating twitch appeared over the first person's head, along with a very ominous black aura above him. "Do you really want to go to hell that bad, you old hag...?" he growled through gritted his teeth.

His neighbor gave a light laugh. "_Maa_, _maa_..."

"_Nee_, Yusaku, are we going to face them all again...? It would be too bad if we don't pay them back in triplicate," the young man said, running to catch up with him. "And 'Lilith' is still with them, too. Adam wants her saved that bad, right...?"

"The hell I care, stupid monkey. But a pain in the ass order IS a pain in the ass order. We might or might not, if Adam should think it fit to do such. You know how he's even worse than a rabid dog having a root canal concerning matters about the -Limiter- if it doesn't happen according to plan." The first person then looked over his shoulder. "Shut up. We are here."

The 4 of them stopped before a huge pair of steel doors. The doors slid slowly open after a protesting hiss from a steam pressure valve. They then entered the room one by one, to which then then all stood right in the middle of the darkened room. A booming voice then rang out in the stillness.

"High Sephardim Yusaku Saionji."

A spotlight shone from above then enveloped the first person up front. The light glinted off his lightest blond hair parted to one side, his clear violet eyes slanted and serious. He was wearing a modified version of a German Imperial Army uniform (think that outfit Relena Peacecraft wore in Endless Waltz, complete with bemedalled sash), in all silver, and a pair of boots on his feet. He nodded slightly. "_Ha_."

"Throne Sephardim Setsuna Takizawa."

A secondary spotlight shone on the person beside him. The light glinted off his dark brown hair parted to one side, his forest green eyes glinting behind his glasses. He was wearing a similar uniform like that of the first person up front, except it was in all green, and a pair of boots on his feet. He gave a small nod. "_Hai_."

"Dominion Sephardim, Tatsuhiko Fujimiya. Power Sephardim, Daichi Maeda."

The 3rd and 4th spotlights shone on the 2 remaining people behind them, light glinting off their dark red hair and red brown eyes, and red brown hair and golden eyes, respectively. The taller one was wearing a similar uniform to the first 2 except that it was in all red, and the younger one was wearing his in yellow. They both had a pair of boots on their feet. 

The taller one gave a rueful grin. "_Yo_." The younger one just blinked.

"You are hereby called before the Nimrod, as Adam has sent you." A light shone from somewhere beyond the 4 of them, lighting a group of cloaked figures seated on raised platforms before them dimly. They all had their cowls thrown over their faces. One of them leaned forward slightly. "What news have you of 'Lilith'?"

"The Kagekidan is not making things any easier. They are all dead set in protecting an enemy in their midst..."

"Is that so...? Well, you can't even protect the one you WERE supposed to protect." Another cloaked figure gave a nonchalant shrug in the shadows as he leaned against a pillar. He then turned to look over at them. "Surely, is this the work of the elite Sephardim I've been hearing so much about...?"

"..." Yusaku Saionji's slanted clear violet eyes narrowed dangerously. "You speak ill, for a trespasser. I don't care if you're one of the Magi or not. What brings you hither...? Have your 'dogs' brought you nothing but shame after losing the -Limiter- so now you come to us...?"

"I will let that slide. Yes, it would be so like you to cut through civil conversations like so, Yusaku Saionji. I heard you were in deep love with the -Limiter- before..." the newcomer said in a mocking voice, laughing lightly.

A deafening shot was heard, narrowly missing the newcomer by a hair. Yusaku looked over at him from behind the smoking barrel of his aether pistol. He glared. "The next bullet won't miss."

"Saionji!" one of the cloaked figures before them called out in a shocked whisper.

"If it weren't for my father's wishes, I wouldn't be wasting my breath on the spineless likes of you. And if Adam hadn't been so adamant in bringing the -Limiter- back for your own pathetic whims, I wouldn't be here." Yusaku casually held his aether pistol to one side. "If it weren't for US, you'd all be groveling on the ground by now, begging for mercy."

Setsuna Takizawa looked over at him with a surprised look on his face. "Yusaku..."

"If it weren't for the strength of your father's connections with them, you wouldn't be spouting ass remarks, you arrogant bastard." The newcomer gave another nonchalant shrug. "You could've gotten the -Limiter- that easily, but you held back. What're you waiting for, anyway...?"

"Waiting for the day when the entire idiot population goes down to zero." Yusaku looked over at the venerable cloaked figures in front of them, still and very silent they were. He still held his aether pistol casually to one side. "I've one thing to say to you, to why we still haven't gotten the -Limiter- back. 'He' awakens."

***_The huge scarlet, cream, gold, and sky blue mech with 6 thruster "wings" upon its back appeared before Branueil, a burst of its spectral purest white "feathers" swirling about it in a flurry, as Yusaku could only gaze at it in shock. Lei's glazed over slanted gold amber eyes became even more slanted as he gave a smooth, evil grin, swiping at him with his blinding white double glaive Void Clef. Their battlefield exploded, scattering shards of broken earth about them in a fury._***

"'He'...?"

"The one you call eater of worlds. 'He' awakens." Yusaku looked over at the now shocked group of cloaked figures on the raised platforms before them. "Seems what you were expecting came a little too quickly. Isn't that nice...?"

"!!!" The newcomer was very shocked, indeed. "How...impossible...!!!"

"Never thought he'd reincarnate like Metatron now, right...? He's been waiting for the right time to catch us all unawares. I must say I am very impressed. He's done his work really well." Yusaku put his aether pistol inside his holster, then swept his cold, clear violet gaze over all of them. He blinked, then gave a small smile. "And you know what...? I feel sorry for you. Just looking at you...I feel pity for those countless idiots who serve under you, worshipping you like those cocky self-serving 'gods' people like to think who exist." He then turned and started walking away. "_Ikuzo_."

"_H_..._hai!_" Setsuna answered, going after him.

The 4 of them left the chamber, the doors hissing shut behind them. Daichi Maeda was very puzzled. "_Ne_, _ne_, _ne_, Yusaku, now they're going to be pissed off super bad. Why are they all afraid of that happening, anyway...? I mean, they ARE waiting for 'him' to awaken, right...?"

Tatsuhiko Fujimiya hit him with a closed right fist. "Stupid monkey, haven't you realized if 'he' awakened just a tad bit too early, we're talking about a major catastrophe to end all catastrophes in the making, here...?! They have been preparing for that day to come, yes, but not this QUICK! It's like sending a kid off to camp with nothing like a combat knife, string, and God knows what else~~~"

"_**IIIIiiiiiiiiIIIIiiii-TTTTttttttttTTTTTttttttAAAAAaaaAAAAaaaaaaIIIIIIIII~~~!!!**_ What was that for, you LECHEROUS PLAYBOY~~~?!" SD Daichi yelled, his teeth jagged fangs.

"For being stupid, STUPID~~~!!!" 

Another frightening black aura surrounded Yusaku, his bangs throwing his eyes into shadow. "**_URUSAI..._**"

"..." Setsuna was thoughtful. "Yusaku...did you think it best not to tell them about 'Lilith'...?"

"..." Yusaku was quiet. 

***_There was an unfurling of wings, a brilliant flash of light, and a huge burst of aether energy as a pillar of light surrounded the rampaging mechs on the battlefield, and as spectral purest white "feathers" flew about them in a flurry. Edelweiss appeared, seeming to enfold the Nirvana with its now seraphic wings, stopping him just enough for Wolfborg to summon the Seal into the air to finish his rampage. Lei's eyes returned to normal and he fainted inside his cockpit._***

"She was...protecting 'him'. Do you not think it unusual...?"

"How should I know...? It's not everyday we get to meet psychos like that, stopped by what seems to be the goodness inside his heart crying out for help to 'Lilith'. As much as Oblivion detested the world, and we detest him, only 'Lilith' could understand and soothe him." Yusaku's slanted clear violet eyes were serious. "As we were sworn in to protect the Imperial Family a long time ago...the Kaiser...especially the Grand Duchess..."

A subliminal shot of a beautiful young girl appeared, dressed in rich silken robes and jewels befitting her rank as a Princess (Grand Duchess = Princess). Her eyes were closed happily, as she stood there with a small smile on her face, the white doves all flitting about her.

"It would only make our work harder. Besides, it was what 'Lilith' chose for herself." Yusaku nodded, then looked up to the darkened ceiling. "And they don't have any right in choosing things for her own choosing, if you get what I mean. It is best left this way."

"As you say." 

"~~~and you're not even worth it you STUPID monkey~~~"

"~~~what the HELL do you know you horny BASTARD~~~"

The gigantic _harisen_ struck swiftly and deadly.

"_**URUSE, KONO BAKA SARU TO GEKIBURI~~~!!!**_ When the HELL would you two LEARN to shut UP~~~~?!" SD Yusaku roared, hitting them again and again with his _harisen_ which he summoned from subspace. "I've ENOUGH of your stupid ANTICS and that HAG insists on making me BABYSIT all of you and this is all you EVER do to REPAY me for saving your asses all those TIMES I have to put UP with you 2 IDIOTS~~~?! Do you want to go to HELL that BAD~~~?! Or do you want to go through it SEVERAL TIMES OVER~~~?!"

"**GGGGGGGUUUUUUUUWWWWWWWAAAAAAAHHHHHH**~~~"

"..." SD Setsuna gave a small smile. "_Aa_, _heiwa desu ne_..."

The only reply he got were a series of gunshots from a very furious Yusaku. And it was all he ever needed to know.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Another LONG chappie~~~!!! Now Team Axis shows up again, by means of that Magi. Do the other Magi know he's even in this deal with the Nimrod...? And...oh NO! Lei's Oblivion...?! Is he or isn't HE?! He and Kai make a rather lovely couple....**^~^** And yeah, I miss those Western travelers very badly. I really had to put them in.

Easy Japanese Ver. 3

**_Akai Shinpuuga_** = Red Holy-Wind-Fang (from last chappie)

_**Ittai!**_ = Ouch!

**_Uruse_** = still another version of _**Urusai**_, shut up.

**_Aa, heiwa desu ne..._** = How peaceful. (OO;; how the heck does Hakkai ever think of the 3 of them arguing PEACEFUL?!)

_**Harisen**_ = Genjo Sanzo's almighty folded paper fan.

_**Gekiburi**_ = cockroach

_**Hontou da?**_ = Is it true?

_***blah-blah*-hakase**_ = *some surname*-doctor, so Dr. *some surname*

_**Yo.**_ = Hey.

_**Usotsuki.**_ = Liar.

_**Urusai, omae ga korosendayo~~~!!!**_ = Shut up, or I'll KILL you~~~!!!

_**Ikuzo.**_ = Let's go.

_**Nandemonai.**_ = It's nothing.

_**Uruse, kono baka saru to gekiburi~~~!!!**_ = Shut up, you stupid monkey and cockroach~~~!!!

_**Ja, na.**_ = See you.

**_Urusendayo._** = still another version of shut up. (gee, Genjo Sanzo certainly LOVES his colloquialisms...^___^;;)

And...

**Yusaku Saionji** = **Genjo Sanzo**

**Setsuna Takizawa** = **Cho Hakkai**

**Tatsuhiko Fujimiya** = **Sha Gojyo**

**Daichi Maeda** = **Son Goku**

**Kadomony** = ^____^;; not really Japanese, but...Adam Kadmon is the primordial man in Hebrew lore - the perfect prototype, and the first man of

the Kabbalah, symbolized by the holy sephiroth. (taken from Guardian Angels, a Xenogears site) In this ficcie, it is the ability to

use your aether at will in order to project a manifestation of your aether Element, as in the case with Mao (Galux = Raging Earth).

_*****Erratum**_ = Fimbrethil means "slender-beech". Sorry about that one....^____^;; 


	17. Natsu: First Moon

_Natsu_:

First Moon 

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**  Wow, what an overload!  Well…I just had my finals and I've finally managed to take a REAL breather by uploading this next chappie.  Sorry for the long WAIT! (hmm…Uchiha Sasuke isn't EXACTLY making me sleep very well these days, so…uh…forgive me if this chappie reads like a telegram.  ;;)  OK?  So now I've introduced you to the major key players in Disc 1…ehmm…sorry !!! ;;  uh, FIRST PART…let's get on with the story.  The Kagekidan is going up for some major changes here and there, and Team Hoshi isn't exactly that pleased to note that for the time being, Lei would have to recuperate in the hospital wing and Althaea Whitaker(!!!) would be temporarily taking his place.  The captain of the Griffins notes this with surprise, and even Emily is bewildered.  The Ministry of Defense is moving in for the kill.  Kai isn't going to take this sitting down, I tell you!  R/R PLEASE!!!

**DISCLAIMER:**  I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, Asato Tsuzuki his 12 original –Shikigami-, and Gensomaden Saiyuki, as they're all owned by their respective authors.  The OC's and some of the terminologies are mine, though.  So no SUING!!!

"…well then, you don't need anything else, Kon…?"

"I'm perfectly alright with this, ma'am."

"OK.  Just be sure you REST.  You have a long recuperation period to get all your bearings in check…"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good."  Dr. Mizuhara nodded.  "Don't sweat the details.  Everything would be fine…Daitenji-kacho's working on it."

"…" Lei nodded, pale as he was as he sat upon his bed, and dressed in a cool hospital _nagajuban_.  He became anxious.  "Mizuhara-_hakase_…I'm…sorry about all of this…if only I'd been much stronger…this wouldn't have happened…"

"Hey, I told you not to sweat the details, right?  Daitenji-kacho is doing all that he can to make sure the Ministry of Defense don't get their hands on you.  And what are you apologizing for…?  Lei, you did nothing wrong."  Dr. Mizuhara proceeded to pulling at Lei's white blanket, her eyes closed happily as she did so.  "So, let's get you some sleep.  Alright, Lei?"

"…alright…"

"Good."  Dr. Mizuhara nodded.  "I'll just show Mao in and you 2 could have a talk.  I think it's been quite a while since you 2 saw each other last, eh?"

Lei nodded again.  "…yes…"

"OK."  Dr. Mizuhara opened the door.  Lei settled beneath the covers.

"…" Dr. Mizuhara looked over her shoulder.  "And Lei…"

"Yes, Mizuhara-_hakase_…?"

Dr. Mizuhara looked at him.  How he looked so much like Fei.  And how he looked so vulnerable at the moment.  So she decided against it, for now.  She just gave Lei a small smile.  "Get well soon."

The door closed.  Dr. Mizuhara bit her lip. 

_How long is the Kagekidan going to hold on after this…?  Now, after "he's" been unsealed…?  Dear God, please…make us safe…_

"…" Takao scratched his chin as they all settled in the dining room a little while later.  "So, that means Lei won't be hanging out with us for quite some time, right…?  And that Mao would be taking his place as Queen Titania…?"

"Seems like it.  Aside from the height difference, I don't think the audience would miss him that much.  We'll just make Mao wear high heels or something," Max replied, pulling off his headress with an almost theatrical exaggeration.  He then stuck out his tongue.  "Yeesh.  Next time, I SHOULD remember not to mix those arabesque leaps with egg salad sandwich on rye…my stomach's going on World War II or something."

"Hmm, wearing high heels is not enough, Max-_senpai_, Mao-_san_ should also wear a wig," Kenichiro added.  "The audience will definitely know she's not her older twin brother for all that pink hair of hers."

"You're absolutely right, Kenichiro-_kyouju_-_chan_, we should definitely hunt for a wig to cover that crowning glory of hers down to the last wayward strand," SD Max said, a goofy grin on his face as he patted the diminutive prodigy on the head.  "You're an absolute GENIUS!!!"

SD Kenichiro had several sweatdrop explosions around his head as he turned beet-red from the attention Max was giving him.  "Max…Max-_senpai_…"

"Stop goofing around, Mizuhara, this is not an appropriate time for that, we're not out of the woods yet," Kai muttered as he started pulling the leaves off his hair one by one.  "Mao may be Lei's younger twin sister but that does not mean she could act very well like he could."

"So you're finally admitting Lei's quite a GOOD thespian, Kai…?" SD Takao's eyes were wide and circular.  "And here I was thinking you're going to actually burn him to eighth hell with Dranzer on Rave Mode every chance you could get…"

SD Kai's eyes were little beads.  "Unlike SOME other persons I know, Kon isn't as scatterbrained and as egotistical.  And as LOUDMOUTH.  He could actually ACT."

"" SD Takao turned into a burning SD ogre, his teeth jagged fangs, his eyes devilish litte slits, as he breathed fire.  "Who's EGOTISTICAL?!  WHO'S A LOUDMOUTH?!  Me, SCATTERBRAINED?!  **DO YOU WANT TO DIE THAT BAD, HI-WA-TA-RI**?!?!?!?!" he roared.  SD Max and SD Kenichiro were onto him, holding him down as he was about to kick Kai upside his head.

"…" SD Kai took a sip from his coffee mug.  "And did I mention childish and has absolutely no sense of direction at all…?"

SD Takao was actually pulling at his hair, to which SD Max and SD Kenichiro was still trying to pacify him.  "**HI-WA-TA-RI**"    

"Takao, CALM DOWN!!!"

SD Yuri started laughing.  "I didn't know how you guys absolutely LOVE each other." 

Kai choked on his coffee.  He then proceeded to giving Yuri a death glare.  "Do you have any last wishes, Ivanov?  Kinogu is the absolute bane of my existence, and I still have no idea how he ended up here in the Kagekidan in the FIRST place."

"Yes, you 2 are just like fire and ice, but I'm pretty sure Daitenji-kacho and Mizuhara-_hakase_ wouldn't be able to find a –Sigil- duet more explosive than the both of you," SD Yuri said, nodding.  "For quite a fiery performance…I must SAY I'm absolutely IMPRESSED."

A huge black cloud hovered over SD Kai's head.  "If I were more sane than I am right now, I would really have committed _hara-kiri_ the first time I learned Kinogu was my hell week partner…I'd rather have Jack the Ripper…"

"Well, Hiwatari, **I'd RATHER have a RABID DOG!!!**"

"**TAKAO!!!**" 

"Well, aren't we all very spirited tonight," Dr. Mizuhara said as she entered the dining room, smiling.  She nodded.  "The Emperor was very pleased with your thespic performance, and you really did the Kagekidan and Daitenji-kacho proud.  It wasn't easy to coax His Imperial Highness from his duties and the Imperial Palace…"

"Really…?" Yuri blinked.  "Umm…it is such an honor to be even watched by the Emperor of Imperial Japan himself…how did you get to coax him, Mizuhara-_hakase_…?"

"The Emperor is such a big fan of Shakespeare, and when he heard that the Kagekidan's going to stage _A Midsummer Night's Dream_…he really jumped at the chance to see it.  Done in our native language, of course.  Some of the traditionalists weren't pleased."   

"So is he in trouble, then…?"

"They're hoping to mold him in the way of his forebears – strict, very traditional, and closed to the Western world – that is, before Commodore Perry decided to pay Japan a visit on that fateful day so many years ago.  It's such a good thing his father raised him up to be very open-minded about all sorts of things…and it's giving the traditionalists big headaches.  They really can't touch him as he IS the Emperor.  Well, it's not as if we're going to see a _kabuki_ version of _King Lear_ some time soon.  The traditionalists are actually thinking that way." 

There was a loud crash as SD Takao leapt straight at SD Kai and they both toppled to the floor, a very agitated SD Max and SD Kenichiro trying to keep the 2 combatants at bay, sweatdrop explosions about their heads.  SD Yuri had a huge sweatdrop over his head, his eyes thin little slits.  "I don't think that would sit with those 2.  They almost killed each other on the stage back there, what more with that.  They'll probably throttle each other's throats rather than do those _mie_ beside each other." 

Dr. Mizuhara had a huge sweatdrop over her head as well, looking like an amiable cat.  "I'll take your word on that, Yuri.  I should really talk to Daitenji-kacho about this."

"…"

There was a small slit of light, drenching the darkened room with what little luminescence it could give, and Daitenji-kacho quietly went into the room.  Althaea was still sound asleep, her breathing quiet and still.  There were several bandages on her arm where she ripped her IV tubes off, along with several other tubes snaking into her chest area for monitoring her heart rate.  A nurse was nodding herself to sleep on one stool at the foot of her bed, a thick crocheted blanket amply covering her from the cold of the room. 

He then proceeded to wake her up.  "Ikeda-_san_, Ikeda-_san_…" he whispered.

The nurse blinked, then looked up to see the head of the Kagekidan looking down at her, smiling gently.  She jumped to her feet, blinking herself rapidly awake.  "Dai…Daitenji-kacho!!!  Oh, I'm…terribly sorry…I was just…"

"At ease.  I could see you've been doing your best to take care of the patient…" Daitenji-kacho said softly.  "I'll take over from here for a while.  Would you please be kind as to call Dr. Maeda for me to this room?"

"_H_…_HAI_!" The nurse gave a short, small bow, then she hurried off to find the doctor.  Daitenji-kacho nodded after her, then turned to look at Althaea.  He nodded again.  "You may now come in."

Emily went inside the room, looking through the many new equipment she's only heard about from her military briefings with Gen. Collins, her eyes wide and blinking.  Ralf Jurgen followed suit, his eyes impassive.

"I trust you've given Judy what you came here for, Miss…?"

"Oh WOW, is she the –Limiter-?!" Emily exclaimed, coming towards the still figure on the bed, her clear blue eyes wide and blinking.  She held her hand to her mouth.  "Is she…stabilized…?"

"Yes, she is."  Daitenji-kacho nodded.  "It took a long time, though.  The first time she came here, she was a complete wreck…"

"Well, if those reports were to be believed, she WOULD be," Emily mused, her clear blue eyes now sad.  "I can't imagine why they'd torture somebody just to make her gain more power…"

"Alas, that is her fate."

Emily blinked again, then she looked over at Daitenji-kacho.  Daitenji-kacho gave a small smile.  "I see you've been really up to date with everything, Miss…?"

"O-oh, I'm sorry about that!"  Emily's cheeks flushed, then she gave a small short bow.  "M-my name is Emily Watson, Cadet First Class, Eagles, United States Ministry of Defense…"

"Of course.  I'm very glad to meet somebody from the Eagles."  Daitenji-kacho nodded over at Ralf.  "And you are…?"

"Ralf Jurgen, Cadet First Class, Griffins," Ralf answered promptly with a small short bow.

"Yes, yes.  Oh my.  It's not everyday I have such important guests all at once…Eagles, and Griffins.  Quite a 'menagerie', if I do say so myself."  Daitenji-kacho nodded.  "I trust your accomodations are to your usual comforts back at home, so to speak?"

"Oh yes, Daitenji-kacho.  I…the accomodations are really nice," Emily answered.

"And the play…?"

"I find it quite unusual for one of the Bard's works to be heard in your native language, but yes, I must say I am very impressed at the way things turned out.  I definitely should have dragged MacGregor into this," Ralf replied.

"Good, good."  Daitenji-kacho nodded again.  "Well…now all the proper introductions and inquiries are in order, I guess it's but right to start on business."

Dr. Maeda came in, brandishing 3 brown folders.  He nodded to each person in the room.  "Daitenji-kacho, Miss Watson, Mr. Jurgen.  I trust you've been briefed by your own respective superiors regarding this matter?  Aside from Daitenji-kacho, of course…he has been with me and my other colleagues in this case ever since the young lady in this room was admitted prior to her 'severing' with the Wings of Metatron…"

"Yes, doctor," Ralf answered.  Emily just nodded.

"Well, then…"  Dr. Maeda gave each of them a folder.  "I have compiled in each of these folders all information I have regarding our patient here.  Now, if you'll all please turn to the 3rd page, let us begin."

There was a soft rustling of papers as Daitenji-kacho, Emily, and Ralf turned to the page the doctor was referring to.

"Now we see here her basic information.  As you will note, we haven't really measured her ether points and animum psychic ratio just yet, as she's still recuperating.  But I have strong reason to believe…by controlling that –Relic- Edelweiss by means of those Wings…that this young girl has near infinite amount of ether points and animum psychic ratio.  It's not just anybody who could be strapped into that device and be able to move to make that –Relic- move freely.  So, meaning to say, it is safe to presume that she has over 100% points, MORE than 100% points, regarding the EP and APR.  Or, as I said, near infinite."  Dr. Maeda nodded.  "Please turn to page 16."

He cleared his throat.  "Now you see here a rough sketch, a diagram, explaining that of the Kyrieans Principle.  As elementary science dictates that like polarities create a huge energy of repulsion, such is the case of the Kyrieans Principle.  Flowing chi inside a pilot's body determines his sensitivity to such aether abilities he may happen to possess; piloting a –Sigil-, he releases huge amounts of chi to which the –Nirvana Crystals- would react, along with the pressurized steam generator.  Now, what happens during Rave mode…?"  Dr. Maeda nodded.  "The pilot is put under a lot of aether stress, releasing high amounts of chi from his body…theoretically speaking, we all have our own limits, and the pilot attempting Rave is pushing himself BEYOND his limits…his chi mixes with the pressurized steam…thereby reacting with the –Nirvana Crystals- at such an incredibly high rate, creating huge amounts of power…giving his –Sigil- a momentary ability of super speed, super-strength within a given time frame…which corresponds with the pilot's ability to respond to such aether stress." 

Emily bit her lip.

"Too much aether stress is a REALLY bad thing.  If the pilot produces more chi than what he could handle, he would literally make himself overly fatigued by harnessing such huge amounts of power in so short a time…thereby making him very vulnerable, in case his opponent should choose to relentlessly attack him.  He would literally make his brain fry in its own juices.  You could come out of it with only a brief period of nausea, and in really worse cases, become completely broken and insane.  Some pilots have been known to come out of it totally scarred forever, a celebrated case involving the 'infamous' ICDC pilot, Asato Tsuzuki."  Dr. Maeda nodded.  "However, in this young girl's case, due to her torture device, so to speak…she is able to withstand such aether stress and is able to cope with such pain at a very unearthly tolerance rate…coupled with her innate abilities of near infinite levels of EP and APR, and those 'summon beasts'…it is very easy to see why the Team Axis is very anxious to have her back in their team again.  We're looking at Doomsday even as I speak."     

"Isn't it dangerous for her to stay here…?  As what happened last night…" Ralf said. 

"Now we know that it's not only Team Axis which is very anxious to take her away," Daitenji-kacho said rather gravely.  "I know it is dangerous to keep her here, as she is an enemy…it's as if  we're inviting a snake into a nest of chicks.  Whether her coming to the Kagekidan is a blessing or a portent of doom still remains to be seen…and whether Team Axis sent her here to spy on us or committed such a costly, very stupid blunder still remains to be seen, as well.  And if other factions should know we have the –Limiter- in our care, there's going to be a very huge war coming up in the horizon very soon.  Our own Ministry of Defense would love to get their hands on her and use her as they see fit…"     

"Of course.  Who wouldn't want to gain the upper hand in a war…" Emily mused.

"They're moving, and if we don't do anything, we'll have the second world war by our doorstep in no time flat." Daitenji-kacho's mouth was set in a hard, thin line.  "As opposed I am to the way things are turning out in our country's Ministry of Defense, we have no choice but do the inevitable.  And that is…'using' the –Limiter- before they could get a chance to 'use' her for their own evil gains."

"!!!" Ralf and Emily's eyes went wide.  Dr. Maeda bit his lip.  "So it's come to this point then, Daitenji-kacho…"

"Falcrest is shot, and Rheingeld's pilot is recuperating," Daitenji-kacho answered, his eyes closed.  "The other –Sigils- have still not completely 'recovered' yet, so to speak, and Galux couldn't possibly handle all of them at ONCE, even if she's the fastest –Sigil- we have capable of melee attacks and could do Kadomony."   

"B-but…Daitenji-kacho…" Emily can't believe what she was hearing.  "She's part of Team Axis, and if she should choose to use her powers to put us all in grave danger for them to be able to move in on us…"

"…"  Daitenji-kacho looked at her, his deep brown eyes serious.  "If she considers us as our enemies, she wouldn't have made that move as to protect the Rheingeld's pilot from danger…"

"…" Ralf was just quiet.  Emily stepped forward, her eyes anxious.  "But…but…Daitenji-kacho…it doesn't follow that if she should…protect 'him' means that...she's already our ally…!"

"On the contrary, Miss Watson…even if 'he' has awakened…he is **STILL** Lei Kon.  And is still our ally."

"There are no guarantees that he would not harm his fellow comrades here in the Kagekidan…" Ralf said quietly.  His expression was grave.  "Surely, Daitenji-kacho, you still think he'd remain the same after that 'awakening' of his…?  You've only put yourselves in greater, more terrible danger."

"Just think of it this way, Mr. Jurgen.  If we should allow the Imperial Ministry of Defense to interfere and take control of 'him' without the –Limiter- by his side, then we would be in even more danger.  If it weren't for the –Limiter- he could've really destroyed everything in an instant.  She protected 'him' from his own terrible fate."  Daitenji-kacho has become even more serious.  "Did you honestly think the Imperial Ministry of Defense is not without its own lair of snakes…?  There are some people I know who wish to wrest the power away from the Heir of the Chrysanthemum Throne himself, traitors to the crown and the Japanese people, willing to be part of Team Axis and their plans of absolute world domination.  These people almost caused the abolishment of the formation of the Kagekidan, after what happened to the ICDC.  They do not want any more interferences from the liberalists in making them seek their own dreams of power.  These snakes would then use 'him' and the –Limiter- to put us all in jeopardy…then if that should happen, nobody would be able to stop them."  

"…"

"The reason that they couldn't still get hold of the Kagekidan is because the current Emperor's grandfather has dearly wished for such a unit of elites to protect the Chrysanthemum Throne from those who should so wish to destroy it.  Even then, during his own reign, he knew that the Imperial Guards were breaking apart at the seams, torn by their own loyalities and selfish ambitions.  So he banded together all of the liberalists who would protect the Throne…nobles who were considered as friends of the Imperial Court…friends in a sense that they would all gladly lay down their lives for the protection and the defense of the Imperial Capital and the Japanese people.  So thus the ICDC was born." Daitenji-kacho nodded.  "Souichiro Hiwatari was one of his closest friends, and thus saved us from our own oblivion when Asato Tsuzuki created that catastrophe.  He really is a powerful man, and few dared to rise up against him when he announced that he would become the financier of the new unit after the ICDC was disbanded.  He has been with us the whole time we were still out there, financing our research and archaeological digs, and has generously shared his resources with us in every which way possible.  He knew that he was doing this for the interest of the Japanese people, for their own well-being…and he tried to protect us from all the mudslinging the traditionalists were throwing our way, keeping that thought in mind.  They were always mocking us.  But now when they finally knew how strong we've become, they are now very eager to make us their friends.  And are doing everything in their power to wrest the control of the Kagekidan from me."

Dr. Maeda, who was checking Althaea's heart rate, and ether and animum psychic stats on the device near her bed, nodded absentmidedly at what he said;  Daitenji-kacho had his arms crossed over his chest and continued on.  "Absolute power corrupts even the minds of those who wish to do good for the rest of humanity, any which way you put it.  Once they gain control of the Kagekidan, it is not sure if we would still be safe in our own backyards.  Greed would overcome all their other noble causes, and they won't stop until they gain total control of everything else.  We might as well be signing and handing in our own 'death certificates'.  In the end, the only ones left standing are the ones who have the strongest will to live, in the chaos that would most likely ensue (to that I say thanks, Sanzo-_sama_!!! o).  I am not going to stand aside and let those under me be harrassed or put in grave danger just because an 'accident' happened…we have known all along that our job as the defenders of the Imperial Capital has its own perils, and we have all understood them.  It doesn't take a horde of rogue –Sigils-, -Relics-, or very livid traditionalists to make us back off in this fight.  They tried putting us down once, and failed.  And they CERTAINLY won't be succeeding this time around.  I am quite sure they know that, and I'm expecting a hairy encounter any day now because of that, what with Hiwatari breathing down my neck."

"So basically, Daitenji-kacho…you are going to protect her by **'using'** **HER**?" Ralf asked.

"Seems like it.  I can't think of any other way.  If I let her go back to Team Axis now, she has known too much of the Kagekidan already as to consider it the 'safest' option.  If she just becomes a pretty decoration in the background, the Ministry of Defense would have more reason as to wrest control over the Kagekidan, seeing as we're 'hiding' her for our own personal gains, and therefore be branded as traitors to the Emperor and to the Japanese people.  And if we imprison her, we're looking at a major diplomatic catastrophe that would make any other diplomatic mix-up in the entire world pale in comparison…and we consider England as one of our strongest allies, as with the Germans, Americans, some of the democratic Chinese and the French.  I certainly don't want World War II explode any time soon, as we've barely recovered from the first.  I've already sent word to our British contacts in Hong Kong that she is safe and in my care."

"…"    

"As far as I know, the English have considered Lady Whitaker's involvement in Team Axis' -Project Sophia- operations as a really big foul-up, coming at the expense of several blackmails, high profile deaths, and 'puppet manipulation', making up for some of the Allies' biggest losses.  It is a small blessing for them that she has come out from her hiding place without that much fuss from Team Axis.  And we would be returning her to them as soon as this is all over.  So, as soon as Lei is fully recovered…we will send her back to England right away."

"That is, Daitenji-kacho, if nothing BAD happens, of course."  Ralf sighed, then closed his folder.  "I can clearly see the urgency of the situation, and Gen. Hauser was very right in sending me over here to learn such matters.  It is very important that we should be ready in case all hell breaks loose, as the Americans say."

"Team Axis wouldn't let go of their 'trump card' that easily…and I agree with Mr. Jurgen.  It has become much more dangerous, and instead of arguing among ourselves, we have to be prepared for Team Axis' imminent attack.  Although…I am still quite unsure about all of this, Daitenji-kacho…" Emily said, biting her lip, her fine orange (;;) eyebrows furrowed in anxiety.     

"We aren't called daredevils in our own countries, for nothing."  Daitenji-kacho nodded.  He looked around the room.  "Any more comments?  Rants…? Questions…?"

Emily and Ralf were just quiet.

"Well, in that case…this meeting is adjourned."

Takao dropped his fork to the floor.  "**WHITAKER?!**"

Max, Kenichiro, and Yuri's mouths were small O's.

"Daitenji-kacho has just so told me about this just a while ago, and YES, I am surprised as you all are right now regarding this startling decision," Kai fumed, almost sending his oatmeal porridge flying off the dining table.  His red brown eyes were narrowed.  "What is he THINKING?!"

SD Mao was blinking, her spoon inside her mouth.  "The Lady Whitaker…?  That young girl Lei's been telling me ABOUT?!"

"Yes, and the pilot of that –Relic- who saved your older twin brother," Max replied, returning to his scrambled eggs and toast.  He blinked.  "Gee, I NEVER really thought we'd be having her as a comrade…-Relic- pilot and all…I wonder if Daitenji-kacho's become REALLY desperate…?"

"Maybe our poor performance during that surprise ambush really did us ALL in," Takao said mournfully.  "DAMN!!!   I really shouldn't have let those stupid rogues beat me up so BAD…"  

SD Mao turned to look at him.  "You mean, those jerks have already been here…?!"

"Yes, Mao-_san_, and it was really horrifying to say the least," Kenichiro replied, his deep green eyes worried.  "They literally made scrap metal out of Dranzer, crippled Dragoon, and almost ripped Draciel apart to shreds…"

"Well, if it weren't for HER, we wouldn't be alive eating breakfast right now," Yuri said as he cut up his bacon.  "I had a pretty rough time trying to keep Kon in check so I could shoot that damn –Seal- into the air.  Mind you, he was more than willing enough to get me killed…"

"**THAT'S** because he became berserk," Kai told him.  "He had no idea what he was doing at that time."

"Did you think that I DIDN'T KNOW at that time that he was BERSERK?" Yuri answered.  He turned SD.  "Try having those floating things chase after you." 

"Actually, I found them kind of cute," Mao said with a grin as she dipped her spoon into her _taho_ (;; I have NO idea how this should translate into English so I'm using the vernacular…it's basically scoops of  cooked tofu[soybean] with gelatin balls and brown sugar syrup; it is usually served in a glass).  "And it has such a WIDE range."

SD Max's eyes became little beads.  "If I remember correctly, Mao, those cute floating things almost got the entire Kagekidan destroyed in the process."

"And if it WEREN'T for the Lady Whitaker's intervention, those cute floating things could've totally destroyed the Kagekidan, so I rest my case," Yuri finished.  He blinked.  "Hey, it's NOT as if Daitenji-kacho wanted **THIS** to HAPPEN!!!"

"Yup, making squashed tin cans out of our –Sigils- is a REAL sure thing that Daitenji-kacho did NOT want this to happen." SD Takao became even more mournful.  "What's going to happen to the KAGEKIDAN?!"

"I see you're all having a lively discussion of your 'newest' comrade over breakfast, and I must say I am very impressed," Dr. Mizuhara said as she came up behind Takao.  She smiled.  "Not since Lei's coming did you all have such a lively discussion among yourselves."

"Is it really true that she's going to become our new comrade, Mizuhara-_hakase_?" Mao asked.

"For the time being, yes," Dr. Mizuhara answered.  She nodded over at Kai, who by now had become unusually quiet.  "I quite understand your feelings about this, Kai, and choosing between Asato Tsuzuki and Althaea Whitaker, you'd most probably choose the former.  But there are 'certain' things that had become very complicated, and became rather very delicate,  and even if his spirit is willing, his body still needs to recover from those losses the past 5 years he's been in convalescence.  He also has a rather adverse reaction to the Lady Whitaker, as he is 'Metatron'.  As the Kagekidan is very crippled right now without 3 –Sigils-, its own –Limiter-, and its' still recuperating 'awakened' pilot, we are left very naked and vulnerable to the Team Axis' offensive.  This isn't about being a –Sigil- and a –Relic- pilot anymore, Kai, it's about being a team.  I thought of all people in Team Hoshi, Kai, you're the only one who'll completely understand this."

"As the Captain of Team Hoshi, I am expected to understand this.  Believe me, Mizuhara-_hakase_, I am still trying to understand this, surprise and bewilderment be damned.  But such a decision is not without any serious repercussions from the Ministry of Defense.  Do you think my father would take this bombshell sitting down?  The hand of judgment would deliver its deathblow to the Kagekidan any day soon, and naturally this decision Daitenji-kacho made has made it even swifter," Kai answered, frowning.  "Not now, not when we're stuck in such a 'crisis'.  My grandfather can only do so much as to protect the Kagekidan…and there is no question where his and my loyalities lie, and my father's…divided as we are after that 'shattering' incident 5 years ago.  I just don't want it all destroyed for nothing."  

"Believe us, Kai, we don't want it destroyed for nothing, either.  Daitenji-kacho has tried assessing other options, but those traditionalists have us all trapped in with nowhere else to go.  Either we save ourselves, the Chrysanthemum Throne, and Japan's people, or we all die trying.  I am quite sure your grandfather will just take this just as another hurdle in achieving our goals in protecting our country from the clutches of Team Axis, and he expects all of you, especially you, Kai, in upholding these ideals before it is too late and we all fall to ruin."

"And that includes having that girl on our team," Kai said flatly.

"…"  Kenichiro blinked.

"Well, I guess we've all committed ourselves in doing this thing right, ever since we all became members of the Kagekidan," Max said slowly.  "But I sure hope this is the RIGHT thing we're doing."

"Now that they all know we're really vulnerable at the moment, we MUST be sure it IS the right thing," Takao said, nodding.

"And…it's not about pride.  Besides, we are not forcing her to join us if she doesn't want to…it's just some sort of precautionary measure if she intends on becoming a sub pilot for the time being."  Dr. Mizuhara looked over at Kai.  "Well, Captain Hiwatari…?"

"…"  Kai became SD.  "Well alright, since you've had such fun putting another kid under my care.  But I'm warning you, the minute she turns on us I'll be the first one to send her to hell.  I can't jeopardize the entire team just because of one straggler."    

"Don't worry, Captain Kai, she'll be fine, don't worry!  If she went through great lengths just to make sure she whacked my older twin brother back to normal, then she's a real good person.  I may not know much about how the heck she really IS to you people, but I know a good person when I see one.I just didn't feel malice when she stood out there and protected Lei from losing himself against those freaks.I mean, if she just left us all to die out there, it would really make sense that she's here to make our lives hell, right?  And as a –Limiter-, she can make the entire Kagekidan explode if she wanted to, even if she's off to Never Never Land, dreaming…the mere fact that she still hasn't tried to these past few days makes out that she's not too much of a psychotic mass murderer we all deem her to be."  Mao nodded as she scooped some of her _taho_ into her mouth.  "Even if I don't have Lei's ridiculously high empathy ratings in my own animum psychic ratio exams, I could still pass off as a worthy empath in this case.  And besides, it's a REAL great way of thanking her for saving us, you know."

Kai turned to look at her.  "What sort of a thank-you present is THAT?!"

Mao turned SD, frowning at him.  "Hey, if you have any other way of thanking her aside from keeping her cooped up and locked inside a cell wherein she'll become psychotic in less than 5 seconds into it, then I'm ALL ears."              

They glared at each other.

Max and Kenichiro turned SD; Max with his eyes like inverted sausages, and Kenichiro with his eyes turning into little blinking beads.  SD Takao snorted.  "I guess the Great, High and Mighty  Hiwatari has FINALLY met his match.," he announced.

SD Kai turned his death glare at Takao.  "You were saying something, KINOGU?!"

Dr. Mizuhara had a huge sweatdrop over her head.

Yuri gave a goofy grin.  "I can't wait for rehearsals…"

"It is as just as you have said, my lord."

"Good, good."  The man smiled.  "Congratulate the Sephardim for a job well done."

"Yes, my lord."

The door closed behind the speaker.  The man then turned to look at the Tokyo skyline beyond the window pane.

"I'll still have my last laugh, Daitenji.  Don't think it's all over so soon.  On the contrary…it has only started."  He smiled.  "And I'll be 'collecting' it all soon, Daitenji.  I just hope you would still be able to stand up and look me in the eye after all the 'ruin'.  And the Kagekidan will surely be MINE."

He laughed.    

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Talkies, talkies, and more talkies.  This is becoming a conspiracy of VERY convoluted proportions.  Now, even Daitenji-kacho's becoming suspicious.  Who really ARE the good guys in this ficcie?!  The plot becomes thicker and thicker!


	18. Natsu: Second Moon

_Natsu:_

Second Moon

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** So far, so good. I have no frigging idea why the heck my uploaded chappie was one VERY long read, and I would really appreciate it if somebody should tell me how to edit my pre-upload-chappie in the "Quick Edit" mode so that it wouldn't turn out looking like a kilometric revenge of some harried fanfic author. ;; Thanks in advance! Well then, up in this chappie: Team Hoshi's -Sigil- reprise, Sephardim blues, and Nimrod VS Team Axis. The mysterious Adam gets more than what he bargained for, and Althaea learns how it is to be normal. R/R PLEASE!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Bey Blade, Sakura Taisen, Gensomaden Saiyuki and Asato Tsuzuki + his 12 original Shikigami as they're all owned by their respective authors. I do own some of the OC's and terminologies involved here, though...so no SUING!

(**until somebody tells me how to edit chappies in "Quick Edit" mode, all paragraphs shall be denoted with to signify the end of a paragraph and the start of another for easy reading. Thanks:)**)

"Well, well, well, those attacks have stopped...HOPEFULLY...the play rehearsals are in full swing...and the entire hangar is all OURS!" Dr. Soushi Terada was grinning as he stretched his arms way above his head. "Well, I guess I better get started, those Team Axis brats certainly wouldn't be hanging around to wait for these -Sigils- to come out of the hangar before deciding to destroy the entire Kagekidan around my ears..."

"Well Dr. Terada, how are the -Sigils- coming around?" Dr. Mizuhara was saying as she made her way to where Dr. Terada was standing, on the catwalk above the hangar where each and every Team Hoshi -Sigil- was put in place. Several uniformed engineers were going about their daily business taking down notes and measuring the steam pressure, temperature, and reaction synch rate with the -Nirvana Crystals- on their thick logbooks as they went through each -Sigil- below them.

"I'm just about to start my daily check-up before the big operation so to speak, Dr. Mizuhara." Dr. Terada nodded then gestured to the -Sigils-. "I had a very hairy time during that rogue -Sigil- or -Relic- siege last night...I thought I had to build all of these -Sigils- from scratch...it was pretty much the end of the world down here."

"It's a good thing you didn't have to, Dr. Terada, or else it's back to the drawing boards for all of us again." Dr. Mizuhara looked over the -Sigils-. "They're perfectly fine now, yes?"

"Little tweaks here and there, I've FINALLY had those new engines installed in each and every one of them, new armaments...geez, where's my apprentice when I need him...?"

"Kenichiro's pretty busy with his thespian engagement right now, but he did tell me he'd be hurrying down here to the hangar as soon as he's finished bounding across the stage in that frilly tutu." Dr. Mizuhara looked over at Dr. Terada. "Um...new engines, you say...?"

"Yes, yes, I've finally completed all their synch rate charts with their respective -Keys-, and it's only a matter of time before I kick them all into their respective Sephirothic -Sigil-. So, if they manage to blow their -Sigils- up again, they'll have to use those -Keys-..." Dr. Terada blinked. "Sorry. Am I making sense?"

"Yes, you are, Dr. Terada." Dr. Mizuhara nodded over at Rheingeld. "And...what's the current status of that -Antitype- over there...?"

"Pretty exciting, to say the least. I've never seen anything quite like it before...well, being the 'Left Hand of God' sure has its perks. Infinite levels of both aether and physical strength, no traces of those -Nirvana Crystals- whatsoever, after Driger merged with its pilot's Kyrieans Stream...no known armaments, except for those floating things over there...in principle they are similar to Edelweiss' SEALERS...I wouldn't be surprised if that thing could blow a hole through the earth with its astounding powers. A thorough transformation, to say the least."

"A true -Judge of Worlds-." Dr. Mizuhara blinked. "Wait a minute, is it the other way around...?"

"-Destroyer of Worlds-, more likely, as it's a known fact that Oblivion's the 'harbinger of the void'." Dr. Terada waved a hand in front of his face. "What's with those monikers, anyway, it's about time I get started before my apprentice gets here. I want everything to be perfect before he comes."

"The -Creator-, the -Judge-, the -Destroyer-. Wow. I guess we're REALLY going to make those Team Axis operatives run for cover with this trio breathing down their necks. But there will come a time when those 3 would have to fight each other, and we're all stuck in the middle." Dr. Mizuhara nodded. "As for now, it's safe for us to assume that we could relax and take it easy for now. We have the rare opportunity to see those 3 in action, fighting for the same cause...if only for a little while. I can't wait for that day."

"Yes...like those good old days back at the ICDC. We had the power of the -Creator- by our side, and we almost had them then. Too bad...Tsuzuki-_kun_ wasn't able to handle that aether surge that well..." Dr. Terada sighed. "Well, no use reminiscing about such things that could've been, should've been. I really have to get to work right now, lest those rogue -Sigils-, -Relics- or whatever decide to drop for afternoon tea. Give my regards to Daitenji-kacho, would you...?"

"Absolutely."

"..." Yusaku was staring out into the cold gloom of that particular Tokyo morning. The entire building was quiet, save for the shrill whistles that punctuated the silence, coming straight from the railroad station some ways off. A cigarette was clamped in his mouth, and as he watched, indifferent to everything about him, the smoke curled up from his cigarette and framed the maple tree leaves outside the window, heavy with rain droplets.

He hated rain.

"_Ne_, Yusaku...there you are! I've been looking all over for you," Daichi was saying as he walked towards the still quiet young man. He nodded. "Adam wanted to talk to you."

"It rained last night, didn't it...?"

SD Daichi blinked, then nodded. "Yeah, some time during the wee hours of the morning...! Oh." He understood. "So what should I tell Adam..."

"I'll talk to him." Yusaku dropped and crushed his still unfinished cigarette with his boot. "You go run along and tell Setsuna I'll be late for violin practice."

"_H_..._hai_." Daichi blinked, then watched him walk away.

Yusaku was quiet as he walked down the hallway leading to the pair of elegantly carved oak doors down the other end. Maids bowed down respectfully to him as he passed them by, punctuated with soft whispers from those who stood in a huddle. Yusaku was, from their very own standards, a handsome young man, who was as gifted with the violin as gifted as he was with marksmanship. He was cold and aloof and had a rather volatile temper, and he didn't like women all that much, a far cry from Tatsuhiko, who enjoyed chasing after women and considered it as his truest calling in life. Still, he was a prize catch in those high society circles: the only son of Daisaku Saionji, an extremely wealthy industrialist and philantrophist who was also the son of (as some say) a "friendly" rival of Souichiro Hiwatari; educated in Oxford with his law school scholarship on hold and a linguist who knew 22 languages with quite an impeccable mastery of Latin; a violin _virtuoso_ and was adept in lengthy debates and considered by his Oxford professors as Plato reincarnate. He also was the one who whapped his 2 other teammates in the Sephardim into shape by means of his gigantic _harisen_, much to the chagrin of both Daichi and Tatsuhiko, and were given death threats any minute or any hour of the day, 24/7. It was what the Sephardim needed: a cold, inflexible, volatile tempered young man who always was trigger happy and very happy to blow their heads off their shoulders if they just stepped a hairline away from his predetermined limit of a non-existent "emotional" threshold. It was for these traits that the Nimrod were very ecstatic to have him as the ringleader of their elite "raiding" team; that, and because he was the son of their very generous benefactor, but Yusaku couldn't care less. He knew for a fact that he was also there to keep those balding old bastards in the Nimrod in check, and he wouldn't hesitate blowing all of them into 8th hell if they strayed from their original intent. And he knew that the Nimrod also knew it.

2 guards who were flanking the pair of oak doors bowed respectfully as Yusaku came near. "Adam to see you, Saionji-sama."

"So I've heard from the stupid monkey." Yusaku stopped in front of the doors, staring straight ahead. "And please do drop the 'sama' bit. It's getting on my nerves."

The doors were opened before him by the guards, and Yusaku walked in. A silhouette was seen against the French window at the other end of the room, staring straight out into the gloominess beyond him.

The doors closed, and Yusaku bowed slightly. "You have called for me, Adam...?"

"Rather lovely day for sightseeing, eh, Saionji-kun? The heavens are so bleak and dreary today."

Yusaku stiffened, but he didn't say a word. The only sound that was punctuating the silence was the now incessant pattering of the raindrops against the window pane which was slowly rising into a deafening roar, as the heavens seemed to think it was a little too quiet and upped the drizzle into a downpour.

The silhouette turned to face him, his face still thrown into shadow. "Must be very wonderful for you Saionji-kun, to wake up to such brilliant weather. It seems to agree with your current mood this morning..."

"Stop being such an asshole, Adam, and please do get straight to the point. I am not here to discuss the weather, nor my current ecstatic temperament, wearing thin as it is already." Yusaku straightened up, his slanted clear violet eyes narrowing. "Cut me till it bleeds."

The downpour increased its ferocity. The silhouette didn't move. "Still as acid-tongued as always. No wonder even the Nimrod is VERY frightened of you."

"They're spineless and very much stupid. Really, they're just a bunch of overgrown children who need a kind whap by a 2 by 2 or 2." Yusaku turned his now frightening gaze at the silhouette in front of him. "And as you know, I am not a very patient person when it comes to making roundabout conversations concerning matters of life and death. Given this is not a debate hall, and you are not my 'sparring' partner, it is safe to plod on to safer ground before I decide to shoot you."

The speaker's voice has now become a venomous hiss. "You DO know who's holding the cards right at this instant, Saionji-kun?"

"Heh. I do not care, and I do not give a damn. You must also KNOW where you are right now, and besides, you're free to lob insults at me as you see fit, protected as you are by your own little 'badge'. If it weren't for the Imperial Guards' groveling, you wouldn't be as high and as mighty as you are right now. And given the circumstances, if I decided to play my own cards right back then, you wouldn't be here, barking orders at us as if there's no tomorrow. You wouldn't BE Adam."

"You little son of a"

"No, I didn't get the -Limiter- as planned, as you've seen the spectacular spectacle yourself," Yusaku cut in. "Frankly, I don't see the importance of why I have to report to YOU when you already know what has happened. How many times do I have to repeat myself for you to get those facts hammered into your little BRAIN?"

There was a cold, frightening silence. Yusaku knew he went too far, but he really didn't care. He hated this idiot as much as he hated the rain. Hell, he hated all of them. Ordering them about like mongrels on a leash. This idiot wanted to contest the idiocy of the Magi, and that was all there is to it. A battle royal of the world's biggest idiots. And he was so pained to be affiliated under one of them.

The silhouette gave one short, mocking laugh. "A little bit of incompetence on your part, eh, Saionji-kun? It was as easy as taking candy from small children, and you STILL managed to bungle it."

Yusaku raised an eyebrow. "If that IS the level at which you base your competence, Adam, then I wouldn't be able to do anything about it...your pathetic sense of your so-called 'competency', that is. It's what you chose to think for yourself."

"..."

"But anyway, before I go, I would like to give a report for the umpteenth time...concerning matters about the -Limiter-. Hurdled as I was with a bunch of my own idiots to think of, we almost had the -Limiter- if it weren't for that interference. Concerning 'his' awakening, I wasn't expecting that to happen for another million years or so. Dr. Kyrieans' notes sadly didn't calculate...or rather...wasn't able to accurately predict when 'his' next awakening should be. It really threw our plans and theirs out of whack, and if there's anything good that came out of this horrible hindsight, it's completing the -Keys-...and they are all finally falling into place." Yusaku looked over at the silhouette, his face devoid of any expression. "Shouldn't you be prancing around right now...?"

There was a sudden clap of thunder, the fleeting flash of light illuminating the room for a half-second. The silhouette's ice blue eyes (;; you get the idea) narrowed. "It is no reason for us to rejoice. Although it is everything I had hoped to happen, I didn't expect 'him' to be awakened, not until we have 'Lilith' here with us. 'His' awakening only made things even more muddled up for the Nimrod. I wouldn't have the Emperor know of our little plans until all is perfectly in place."

"Isn't it a little too late for that now...? I still can't see why we all have to wait before that thing happened. Thanks to Team Axis' bungled efforts, they can't do anything, we can't do anything, and the Kagekidan can't do anything. We're all in this pathetic little stalemate, and it's only a matter of time before someone decides to make the first move, and when THAT happens, from THAT point on, everything would be helter-skelter." Yusaku opened the door, his back turned towards silhouette. "The Nimrod's just plain terrified it won't be long before everything they've worked so hard to accomplish would be gone in a matter of seconds, once Daitenji decides to push through with the original plan. And I would most certainly kick you all if you come crawling back to me to set things the way they were before. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Yusaku left without another word. There was a crash as a picture frame on the table was smashed by the silhouette's closed right fist. His ice blue eyes narrowed even further.

_Daitenji..._ He then gritted his teeth. _What do you think you're doing...! You're a fool. A stupid fool! You're not going to get away from us that easily...if you thought that was the end, you have got another thing coming. I wouldn't let you destroy everything you created...!_

The picture frame tilted over and fell to the floor, to which he stepped on it deliberately.

Gogoro Daitenji was seen smiling from it benevolently.

Althaea watched the raindrops patter incessantly against the windowpane, hinting at another coming downpour that was sure to last the whole day. It had always been calming, yet overwhelmingly sad at the same time. There was always something about the rain.

Always.

Bitter memories. Happy memories.

All pattering down with the rain...

"Hey! You're up!"

Althaea blinked, then looked over her shoulder. Mao was standing right behind her, with her amber gold eyes wide with surprise upon seeing the Kagekidan's guest walking along the corridors as if she wasn't nearly dead quite some time ago.

Her eyes were almost a crystalline kind of silver, the kind that reminded one of clear, moonlit nights, when everything was touched by that same ethereal glow. It looked as if those eyes should belong to someone who was very cold and cruel, enough to make her glare cut straight to someone's bones. But frostily cold as it seemed like the first stars out right after twilight, they were surprisingly warm as to catch one's attention enough to talk.

"Gee...and Max was going on how we'd be seeing you a zillion years from now..." Mao then held out her hand, her eyes closed happily as she did so. "My name's Mao Kon! How do you do?"

"..." Althaea looked at Mao's outstretched hand, then looked up at her again, blinking uncertainly as to what she was to do. Mao cocked her head to one side. "Um...sorry? Did I offend you or something...?"

"It's the first time she's ACTUALLY spoken normally to, Kon," Kai said as he appeared from behind Mao, a small frown on his face. "She wasn't exactly billeted in the Seventh Heaven Orphanage with a bunch of saintly nuns to look after her."

"I WASN'T asking for your stupid opinion, Hiwatari," Mao growled.

"And she wasn't asking for YOUR name, so there." Kai looked over at Althaea, who was watching their exchange with an uncertain look on her face. "Are you sure you're fine now, to walk alone down the hallways...?" he then asked her in English.

"Why YOU egotistical"

"Yes..." Althaea said in a soft, timid voice. "I...where am I...?"

"Enemy territory," Kai said unflappably. "Suffice it to say, I suggest that you don't venture out 500 meters away from this building, or any other building in this compound, for that matter. Westerners aren't quite popular nowadays with a bunch of psychotic fanatics out there."

"Oh..."

"At LEAST try breaking it to her a little GENTLY, Kai." Max then appeared from behind Kai and Mao, a huge sweatdrop on his head. "I don't want her to think loads of evil things about the Japanese."

"I'm just telling it as it is."

"Boy, you aren't called the Human Sledgehammer, for nothing." Max gave Althaea a goofy grin. "Oh, don't mind Kai, he's NOT usually this nice. My name's Max Mizuhara, this little package of overwhelming love and peace is named Kai Hiwatari, and that affable pink-haired young lady over there is named Mao Kon. How do you do?"

"I'm fine...Mr. Mizuhara." Althaea looked confused. "Sorry...are you Japanese...?"

"Half and half, actually," Max said with a little nod. "My mother's American."

"And..."

"Kai's purebred Japanese. Although his social skills match quite favorably with those of the Huns."

"..." Althaea looked over at Mao. "Are you that raven-haired young man's relative...?"

"She means Lei," Max told Mao.

"Oh! Yeah! He's my older twin brother! Wow! And Lei talked about you the whole time I was talking to him!" SD Mao gave a cute little grin (Mokona grin).

"They're fraternal twins," Kai said. "I just don't KNOW where she got her otherwise abominable personality, though."

"Fraternal twins...?"

"Lei's older of the 2, but sometimes Mao acts as if she's the older twin." Max blinked. "How do you find your accommodations, by far?"

"It's fine. Really..." Althaea looked around. "I'm really...in enemy territory...?"

"Don't worry, we're not about to push you headlong into a dungeon or something. You're our guest here."

"I..."

"Oh, there you are. I was beginning to worry you'd all run off to the enemy base and blew their entire compound to smithereens." Daitenji-kacho went over to where they were, smiling amiably like a very indulgent grandfather. "I see you're making her feel very welcome to the Kagekidan."

"That's what Mao and I are doing," Max said. He gestured to Kai with his thumb. "Don't know with Kai here."

"I'm pretty sure he'll be able to welcome her any day soon, but not right now. Isn't that right, Hiwatari?"

Kai just frowned slightly.

"Well then..." Daitenji-kacho looked over at Althaea, who was blinking at him. "Lady Whitaker? You're feeling fine now? Dr. Maeda has told me you've recovered remarkably well. I guess those medications did the trick."

"Y-yes, sir. And the medical staff were most...kind and gracious." Althaea gave a little bow. "You've all been too kind to me..."

Daitenji-kacho gave a hearty laugh. "It just comes with all the perks involved in being Japan's 'premiere' military institution...as I would like to think. Our Ministry of Defense likes to think otherwise, though."

"A-as you say, sir."

"Of course, of course." Daitenji-kacho looked at Max, Mao, and Kai. "Would you be willing enough to take her on a grand tour, children?"

Kai looked up sharply at the Kagekidan head. Max blinked. "Well...I don't see any reason why NOT. We'll be glad to, Daitenji-kacho..."

"Good, good." Daitenji-kacho smiled warmly at Althaea. "Well, I'll be leaving you in the capable hands of the Kagekidan's elite cadets. I'll be seeing you around, then. I'm needed at the office...I'm expecting some guests today."

He gave a small bow, then went on his way. Kai watched him leave, then turned to glare at Althaea through narrowed eyes. "I don't know why you're here, and why we have to put up with you for the time being. But as the Captain of the Kagekidan, I'm bound by my duties to protect the Japanese people's interests, at whatever cost. I still don't trust you."

Max's eyes widened. "Kai...!"

Kai left without another word. Mao shook her fist at him, gargantuan twitches sprouting all over her head. "Oooohhh, that egotistical little fathead"

"Heh. **THAT'S** Kai for you." Max looked over at Althaea, a worried look on his face. "Sorry about that, Lady Whitaker...just don't let him get to you. He just has a lot of things in his mind lately..."

"Why...am I here...?"

"?" Max blinked. "Lady Whitaker...?"

"..." Althaea then looked over at both Mao and Max. "I guess I'll just head back to my room...Dr. Maeda told me not to overdo it."

"Uh...sure, OK." Max nodded. "We certainly wouldn't want you down with a relapse..."

"Y-yes. Thank you, Mr. Mizuhara, Miss Kon."

She left. Mao was blinking. "She's...a little TOO polite for an Axis operative, isn't she..."

"In any case, we should be thankful she didn't condemn us all to 8th hell." Max gave a little grin. "Why don't we head on to the hangar and check on our -Sigils-?"

Takao came into view, obviously miffed. "**WHAT'S** with Hiwatari?" he growled.

"I think he's down with 'andropause'. It's not easy being the world's greatest prick, you know. His hormones have been acting always overtime again, and he simply does NOT have enough tranquilizers to deal with it." Max slung his arms about Takao neck. "And THAT'S the secret of Kai Hiwatari's Captaincy 401. Never fails him, all the time!"

"Does he REALLY have to rub it in that he's OBNOXIOUS?" Mao asked. "He's just about the most abominable guy I've EVER met."

"Frankly, if it weren't for Takao here, he wouldn't be half as human as he is right now. Goes to show that he has enough microscopic emotions to even bother snapping at Takao every chance he gets!" Max patted the Japanese youth's cheeks. "We're really thankful for that, you know. You're a life saver."

"..." SD Takao's eyes became little beads. "I have no idea if I should be glad you complimented me or consider jumping off the cliff because you just insulted me."

"Consider doing something in between." Max then started dragging him towards the direction of the hangar, a goofy grin on his face. "Let's hit on our -Sigils- before Kai decides to obliterate them."

"..." Lei looked over at the window by his bedside, the rain pouring down in sheets, blurring everything that was beyond it. He still felt really weak, and it really looked as if he wouldn't be able to go on with a normal life again. It was just ...

_...again!_

_Please...don't make me...it hurts..._

_I am REALLY sorry about this, Lei, but you KNOW we have to do this._ Dr. Kinogu nodded, then looked over at the chart he held in his hands again. _Again!_

There was a deafening sound of glass breaking, and 11 year-old Lei crumpled to the ground with his hands stuffed to his ears, crying hysterically. _Make them stop...Dr. Kinogu...it HURTS..._ he sobbed, thin rivulets of blood coursing down from his now soaked bandage wrapped about his head.

_Just a little bit more..._

The aether gauge started humming very loudly in an ear splitting pitch, and there was another series of glass breaking sounds. Lei shook his head violently, tears pouring out in a spray. Blood now poured more thickly.

_That's it Lei..._

Lei scrunched himself into a tight little ball, his tears mixing with the blood, the aether gauge reaching a soul splitting pitch. There was a collective cacophony of glass breaking and his own screams.

_**WhackawhackawhackawhackawhackawhackawhackawhackawhackawhackaWHACKA**_

§-Blink.-§-

Lei's eyes widened suddenly, his eyes brimming with tears, the horrid painful memories almost sweeping him off to another panic attack. He stared blindly at the window, the rain somehow making his current emotional state even worse.

§-**BLINK!-**§-

Lei then turned to look at the thick blanket about him which was protecting him from the coldness of that particular rainy morning. He then blinked. Sitting in a semicircle on the blanket facing him was a group of tiny -Sigils-. They were all blinking tiny flashes of light at him when he finally noticed them.

"What..." Lei sat up on his bed, wondering what in the world was going on. The tiny -Sigils- were still blinking at him quite merrily when Dr. Mizuhara came in, holding a tray laden with food. She blinked upon seeing the tiny -Sigils-. "So this is where you're AT. The nurses had been looking all over for you, did you know that...?"

"Nurses...?" Lei was confused. "Are they...something new for my physical therapy...?"

"Not quite, Lei. The nurses were all agog when they found out these little -Sigils- have gone missing. They belong to the Lady Whitaker...or more appropriately, belong to Edelweiss. But since the Lady Whitaker pilots Edelweiss..." Dr. Mizuhara put the tray down on the bedside table beside him. "I have no idea where they came from, but they appeared after that 'awakening' incident of yours. Apparently, they're 'keys' of some sort."

"..." Lei reached out and held out his hand. The tiny -Sigils- blinked more merrily still.

"Dr. Terada's making progress with Rheingeld...you know, Driger transformed. You'll be able to pilot it in no time flat. That is, until we manage to get through those 'floating things' guarding it. It wasn't easy getting through Edelweiss' SEALERS...but don't worry, we're almost through with it."

"..." Lei then looked down at his hands, his eyes sadly expressive. "Seems like there's no other way out of it, then."

"Indeed. But it doesn't mean that we have to give up hope." Dr. Mizuhara nodded, then smiled at him gently. "Everything's going to be fine, trust us on this."

"I guess." Lei nodded, smiling gratefully up at her. "Thank you."

"..." Daitenji-kacho appeared standing right outside the door, his back facing the wall. He nodded slowly.

"Now that wasn't so hard, wasn't it...? You'll get along just fine. No need to rush things."

Asato Tsuzuki just turned to look at him with expressionless amethyst eyes. Then he looked straight ahead in front of him, watching the rain fall down and patter against the glass.

"No need indeed."

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** The return of Asato TSUZUKI! Uh-oh, things will get hairier from this point on! What does Daitenji-kacho have anything to do with Nimrod and Adam? Stay tuned for the next chappies!


End file.
